Where My Heart Should Have Been
by DrizztDo'UrdenNeverDies
Summary: A (eventually) pretty romantic fanfic about first getting Dipper and Bill together, then all the adventures they have. It is a sort of 3rd season, but not really. The twins do go back to Gravity Falls, though. Sorry, I suck at writing summary's! Rated T for lots of emotional stress, lots of kissing, and some very mild swearing. In the process of being revised!
1. Prolouge

Bill Cipher felt empty. Not that he knew that he did, as he would probably never admit it to himself. He had just destroyed the Flannel Dimension and was feeling pretty great, but deep inside of him where his heart should have been, he felt weird. Not chaos-fun-death-killing-meatbags-Weirdmaggedeon weird either. Just bad weird. He floated around, laughing emptily at the remains of a lumberjack's cabin and family. Their cabin was on fire and had turned from wood to cotton candy. Bill watched as the wife and son screamed at the hand of the lumberjack walking towards them, trying to strangle the son. It reminded him of the time he had sent a dream hipster to go give Sixer a particularly awful dream. He suddenly wondered what Pine Tree was doing. Was he perhaps back in Piedmont, going on with his inevitably boring life? Bill felt the hole in him grow a bit wider. At least Pine Tree would feel dead too. What about Shooting Star? He found her less saddening than Pine Tree though.

"How odd," he whispered to himself.

Realizing the family was getting away he raised a skinny black hand and turned them into plaidypusses. How fitting.

Dipper Pines was bored. Very, very bored. He still couldn't seem to focus on his school work, but summer was long gone. It was like the more time in between him and his trip to Gravity Falls, the less he felt... alive. Like his very soul could die. Which it probably could, if... if Bill was here. And them he thought of Grunkle Ford, out on his unending quest to find weird and explain it. And Stan, who was with him, rebuilding the bridges he burned so long ago. And Soos and Wendy, who were manning the Mystery Shack. And Bill, who had really just tried to kill him - wait, Bill?! Why did he miss Bill? All he had done was try to destroy the journals, try to kill him, and call him a disconcerting nickname. 'Hey Pine Tree!' Their dendrology unit in biology class still gave him goosebumps.

"Dipper! Me and your father need to talk to you!" His mothers melodic voice flowed out from the dining room into his.

"Okay!" He shouted back, walking down a flight of stairs and turning left into the former room.

"Your father and I are just a tiny bit... worried," She said, gesturing for him to have a seat at the table in front of her and her husband, "We think you may be having some trouble with your classes. You seem distant and unfocused when we try to talk to you and you are not responding well to homework. We emailed some of your teachers and they thought similar things," She continued,waiting for a sign of acknowledgment. When Dipper nodded, she started again. " Your social life can't be doing well either, you haven't been to any parties and I never hear you talk about friends," The words echoed hollowly in Dipper's head, not sticking. It took him a second to process what he just heard.

"Wait, mom I'm doing fine! I don't have any friends, but that's not that bad, right? And my grades are fine! I don't have straight A's, but that's normal!" Dipper cried out after a minute of thinking. "Pine Tree" echoed in his head and he shivered. His mom obviously took note.

"Dipper, you are failing 2 classes. That is not normal, not for you. You are a smart kid, and you're gonna go far, but you have to try," His dad's deep voice thundered out.

"But I am!" He squeaked out, hoping they weren't thinking what he thought they were.

"Dipper, we were thinking maybe you'd do better in a smaller setting, with more one-on-one attention," his mom said gently, she took a deep breath and said "Please Dipper, we think this for your own good, so don't get mad, but we are sending you to-" She was cut off as a scream electrocuted the air.

"Mabel!? Was that you?!" Dipper jumped up and started running before either of his parents even began to react. He had gotten paranoid from the gnomes attacking Mabel. As he reached her room, he panted, out of breath, "Are you okay?"

"No, no, I am not okay! My favorite pen just ran out and I am writing Mermando!" She screeched.

"Hush, do Mom and Dad know?" He asked, referring to Mermando.

"Come on Dipping Sauce! I wouldn't be yelling if they didn't!" Mabel yelled "They think he's from Mexico," she whispered.

The twins parents trailed after Dipper, walking and not at all worried about Mabel.

"Dipper, can we finish our... conversation?" His mom asked slowly.

"Of course," Dipper said, sounding defeated.

"Wait, what? Whats happening?" Mabel asked, sounding ready to cry. Not often was something not discussed with both of them.

"Well, Dipper is not doing well. We're thinking of sending him back to Gravity Falls for the year. He seemed so healthy when he came back, and Stanford seemed to be a great role model and character builder. And the smaller setting with more one-on-one attention in school might do him well," His mother explained, the pair of twins looking at each other in shock.

"Am I going to then?" Mabel asked, looking fearful of the answer, like she almost didn't want to hear it.

"Well, that's what we need to talk about..." His mother trailed off and his father picked up "You have friends and are doing well here, Mabel. We didn't know if you'd want to go or not. Dipper has never seemed to get a hold on his life here,"

"I'll go! I'll go! I couldn't leave my Bro-Bro to fend for himself in the world of romance with those noodle arms!"

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted awkwardly, but really he was thankful she wanted to come.

"Then it's settled. You two will leave next weekend," His dad said. The siblings looked at each other with pure delight.

That week passed, slower than anything else in Dipper's 13 year old life. He began to realize, as the shock faded from his mind, that he felt like Gravity Falls was home. His house, this stupid town, even his beloved family (save Mabel, of course), they never seemed right. He had never fit quite right. Now, now he knew. He could love this place, and it could love him, but he'd never feel right. Because Gravity Falls is the place for the people who are a little messed up, a little crazy. Gravity Falls is where his heart should have been.

Soon enough he and Mabel were on the same bus that they took last summer. Mabel fell asleep making one of her famous scrapbooks, but Dipper was wide awake during the 3 hour bus ride, even though it was early in the morning. He stared out the window, letting his mind wander aimlessly.

Bill started. He was in the mindscape, looking at everyone's dreams. And he saw Shooting Star's dream. Shooting Star! That meant she was in city limits! Were they coming back to Gravity Falls? And wherever Pine Tree went, Shooting Star was sure to follow! Her dream was quite ugly, with double rainbows in the sky and trees made of cotton candy. She was wearing a sweater with a shooting star on it, but it was summer. He had missed Mabel's logic. Pine Tree was making out with Candy in the corner. Ehg. He felt an odd sense of disgust when he looked at that picture, and a odd want to get out of the dream and forget the scene he just witnessed. He left quickly, not quite used to jealousy. He explored the mindscape some more, looking at Tadd Strange's dream, and was completely amused. His dream was of a giant spider chasing him. So very normal, so of course Bill needed to make it weird. It was his job as a demon of dreams. He made the giant spider grow wings and a tail, and just as it was about to catch him, Tadd's dream disappeared. He must have woken up.

Dipper shook Mabel awake as they reached their stop.

"Mabel, Mabel! We're here!" He nearly yelled, unable to contain his excitement.

"Wha- OMIGOSHWEREHEREDIPPRWEREBACK!" She literally screamed at the top of her lungs.

They ran off the bus, adrenaline racing through their veins and powering them. They ran and ran, all the way through town, until they reached the Mystery Shack.

"SOOS!" Mabel screeched.

A tallish man-baby with an eight-ball staff came out of the Mystery Shack. "Mabel, Dipper! Wassup, dawgs?" He sounded happy and somewhat surprised.

"Hey Soos!" Dipper exclaimed "Where's Wendy?"

"Ohhhhhhhh. You cut to the chase fast, ladies man!" Soos said as Dipper blushed "She's still inside, I'll get her,"

He came back a few minutes later, a tall, red haired girl trailing behind him.

"Hey guys, why you back so soon?" Wendy asked, staring at her smartphone.

"Oh... heh. Long story," Dipper said, but Mabel took the job of filling them in.

"He was, like, dying, back at Piedmont. It was really pitiful. Mom and Dad freaked out, so now we're here, cause they think Grunkle Stan is still here. I guess they don't know he left with Grunkle Ford,"

"Wow, Dipper. I guess I didn't know how much you loved this place," Wendy commented, finally looking up from her smartphone with a smile on her face. Dipper blushed harder.

"Well, Soos, the first question I need to ask is if we can have our old rooms back. I don't think there's anywhere else for us to stay," Dipper said matte-of-factly.

"Of course, pal, no ones touched em' since you guys lived in them," Soos answered cheerfully.


	2. Bill Cipher's Glass is Half Empty

**A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short. It was mostly just a prolouge, explaining how Dipper and Mabel got back to Gravity Falls, and why. Also, disclamer: I, sadly, don't own Gravity Falls. If I did, there would be a reunion movie.**

It took a few days, but the twins easily settled back into their old, comfy lives. The Mystery Shack was as busy as ever and they worked there on weekends. School was normal, but not really. Like Gravity Falls normal. Many of the teachers were as weird (or weirder) as many of the residents and townspeople. One Saturday night, Dipper was getting ready to go to bed. He had changed into his light blue pajamas and was laying in his bed. Dipper dozed off, feeling more tired than usual. He began to dream.

 _Dipper stood in a field, full of red roses, some how not conected to bushes, just growing straight out of the ground. It was beautiful. Suddenly, a familar voice peirced the air._

 _"Heeeeeeeeeey! My favorite meatbag! My Pine Tree!" Bill cried out in his autotunned voice. Dipper visually winced, but tried to ignore Bill. "C'mon, kid! It's meeeeeeeeeeeee! Billlll!" Bill dragged out the last letter of all his words in an atempt to annoy. He failed, but so did Dipper. For some reason Dipper didn't know yet, he couldn't seem to ignore Bill, even though he wasn't that annoyed and really didn't care as long as he wasn't dying._

 _"Ugh. Bill what do you want? I really don't want Wierdmaggedon to happen again," Dipper said, trying to sound annoyed, even though he was really... not happy, but not quite mad. Just kind of something in between._

 _"Nothing much... just a favor..." Bill said, vaugely threating Dipper, but not quite. "I wanted to know why you're back. Did you miss meeeeeeeee?" He asked obnoxiously._

 _"Yes, of course, Bill, I missed you. Totally. Just keep telling yourself that," Dipper responded, deadpan._

 _"Come on, I was just kidding. I didn't think it was true!" Bill mocked him._

 _Dipper sighed. "Bill, what do you really want?"_

 _"Did you not hear me? Why are you back?" Bill said, finally getting to the point._

 _Dipper blushed and looked down, slightly embarrassed at the story. "My parents thought I wasn't doing to well back in Piedmont, so they wanted me to live here for at least a year," he answered, already tired of telling people - and certain demons - why he was back._

 _"Oh... I see! you sure felt my little trick, then!" Bill said, happier than was polite. But Bill's probably not that worried about that, is he?_

 _"What? Wh-what did you to me?" Dipper said, looking angry, but curious at the same time. Curiosity killed the meat bag. But so did flying triangle dream demons._

 _"Well, the mindscape would just be sooo... boring without you here, playing my little game, so I just threw on a casual curse that would kill you slowly if you ever left Gravity Falls," He said anticlimatically. Dipper began to panic._

 _"What if I need to-to save someone or-or go exploring, or anything? What if my parents make me move back?!"_

 _"Slow down, Pine Tree. It wears off the more you're in Gravity Falls. Once you leave, it stops wearing off. When you come back, then it starts wearing off again. It takes a long time to do damage, anyway. Like a year or something like that. I don't really want you dead, unless you cause a lot of trouble. It's really one of my least favorite curses, because it only tolls you emotionally, not physically too," Bill explained slowly, like he was talking to an idiot._

 _"I don't really want to die. Suprisingly, I like being alive, even when I have to deal with you,"_

 _Bill cracked up, laughing manically. "See, I can't get this anywhere else! Most people are too afraid to say that to me! Pine Tree, you are gold!" Dipper involuntarily shivered, and Bill noticed. "What, does that make you scared? PineTreePineTreePineTreePineTree!" Bill repeated, laughing hard, and Dipper ended up shaking nearly uncontrollably. Bill laughed harder, like it was all a giant game he was winning._

 _"Bill, is-s thatt a-all yo-you wanted-d?" Dipper asked, still smarting from the taunt._

 _"Ha ha. Is that that all you think I want?" Bill asked, teasing him again, though he was deadpan._

 _"Well what else would you want? To marry me?" Dipper retorted, gaining his cool again quite nicely._

 _"Well, I didn't know you felt the same way, otherwise I would have asked over the summer!" Bill said. Dipper felt something, an odd feeling, pop up inside of his heart, but he squished it down._

 _"Bill, if you don't want anything, can you leave? I'm pretty sure I need to be asleep," Dipper said, sounding tired and annoyed._

 _"Okay, but I just want to point out, you are asleep," Bill said, happy to prove Dipper wrong. "Anyway, I'll be back! Remember reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, Bye!"_

Dipper awoke with a start, joltting up from his sheets in a pool of sweat. Ugh. Bill. Why had he come back? Why did he still have that vaugelly disconcerting catchprase? But before Dipper had a chance to ponder those important questions, Mabel came in.

"Hey, Dipper, you okay?" She said looking worried, "You look paler than normal."

"Uh... Yeah, fine um thanks. Mabel, sit down. You need to hear some news," Dipper said, contiuning to look paler and possibly sweat more than usual, if that was possible.

Mabel sat. "Sooo... What the big important news that is going to knock me off my feet? OMGOSHDIDYOUGETAGIRLFRIEND!? ISITWENDY?!" Mabel stood up and screamed this at the top of her lungs.

"Um, no. Nothing quite that awsome. Belive me, I would be really happy, not ready to run. Sit back down," Dipper said, his voice a monotone symphony. Dread, among other things, in his heart. Mabel sat and was silent for the first time in her life. Her brother's tone was bad, really bad.

"Bill's back," Dipper nearly wispered, like it was his fault. Well, it was, partially, but he didn't know that yet. Mabel was silent.

"But why? And how?" Mabel said meekly.

"I don't know... he must have done something to come back from the dead, if he ever was."

Dipper slowly took a breath, scared for Mabel more than himself. Dipper and Mabel sat in silence, not seeming to regisiter any of the passing minutes, nor even the turn of the hour. Dipper thought. And thought. He wanted to say something comforting, but couldn't think of anything good. Finally, after about an hour and a half, he spoke.

"I think we should go to sleep. Maybe we can think of a battle plan in the morning, and tell the others," he said, his mouth dry. Mabel just nodded. He went to sleep nearly instantly, too tired for living, not even thinking about the implications of sleeping so soon after such disturbing news. And he dreamt vividly.

 _The ground was frozen under his feet, and he could feel the chill despite his boots. He saw his best friend, his really truly only friend walk up beside him and start talking, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. Then on his other side his boyfriend walked up, and it felt so natral and sweet as Dipper reached up slightly and kissed him deeply yet quickly. He could remember his name clearly. Bill. It was such a nice name. Bill took Dipper's hand in his and they continued walking, straight into The Mystery Shack, up the stairs, up to Dipper's room. The best friend, Mabel, left them then, a silent glance, and she disappeared._

 _"I love you," Bill murmered, sitting on Dipper's bed._

 _"I love you, too," Dipper said, feeling every word as a truth in his heart._

 _Bill patted the place next to him on the bed and Dipper happily obliged. Dipper pulled Bill into a kiss, wrapping his arms around the other black boy's waist. Bill placed his hand on Dipper's head and started mussing up his hair. They kissed for quite awhile, maybe a whole minute, until Dipper had to pull away for air. They began to kiss again, but suddenly the floor began to crack away under them, like taking itself apart a puzzle._

 _"Bill, what's happening?" Dipper asked, grabing on to the other boy's shirt for comfort._

 _"I-I have no idea," Bill pulled Dipper into his arms, sounding more scared than Dipper felt._

 _By this point the floor had completely fallen away, and the bed was starting to break._

 _"Dip-Dipper, please, please don't let go," Bill said, shaking, his voice full of need._

 _"Okay. I won't," Dipper sounded more determined than he usally did. "I will not let go."_

 _But as the bed beneth them broke away, Dipper was sucked into the vacum void of the darkness below. Bill grabbed on to his shirt and Dipper tried to keep holding on, he really did, but he couldn't. His hands were wrenched off of Bill's shirt and he began to cry. Bill screamed and started sobbing, and Dipper just felt insane, just like floating. So he did. But the farther he went up, the farther away Bill got. He just couldn't swim closer. Bill's crying echoed in his head and hauted him as he just kept flying through the blackness, trying to find some kind of salvation. Anything. Nothing._

Dipper sat straight up in his bed, sweat pouring off of him and fresh tears in his eyes. He almost screamed, but he found no breath within his lungs. He was too hot, and breathing too hard for a simple dream. He should have been happy to be pulled away from Bill! Why was Bill even there? Why was he a beautiful disgusting humanoid? Most of all, Why were they dating!? He lay back down, but the utter silence of the world howled at him. He closed his eyes, but Bill's screams filled his ears and his dream Bill seemed to stare at him from behind his eyelids. Dipper didn't get back to sleep that night.


	3. Simple Solutions are the Best

Bill felt... incomplete. Just half of who he normally was. Half of a sadistical maniac, half of a demon, half ready to make deals with people, half ready to even visit anyone. Other than Pine Tree, of course. So that's what he would do. What a simple solution to a problem Bill didn't know about yet. Bill wandered through the mindscape, looking for Pine Tree's head. When he found it, he looked into it before diving in that wonderful puddle of weird. What he saw was beyond weird. It was Dipper kissing him. Not him kissing Dipper in the form of torture, which is an idea he took note of, but _Dipper kissing him_. Willingly, full of joy and love and other human emotions. And then the world started falling apart. And to his suprise, he started crying...? And dream Bill screamed for Dipper to 'never let go'. Bill was almost scared. It felt like something beyond even his power was ripping up his insides, and making the place where his heart should have been bigger. The vision was so terrifying, so terriblly touching. Bill felt one sparkly, golden tear run down his triangluar surface area and drip down through the portal to Pine Tree's mind. This thing... this vision... this dream... What did it represent? Pine Tree's deepest desire? Or maybe just a floating hope? Or was it a fear? And if it was, what was it of? Him? Intamicy? Maybe even going insane? So many questions filled Bill's mind like water could fill a cave. All the questions seemed to wash away any other thoughts and leave Bill with one destionation. Go to Pine Tree to find what that dream ment. Sadly, Bill couldn't see into peoples' hearts, just their minds. He made a note in the back of his mind to consume whomever had that power so he could gain it. Bill jumped into the portal.

Bill wandered around Dipper's head for awhile waiting for Dipper to become unconcious, looking in various doors and other assorted entrances to see memorys that Dipper had kept secret or maybe just never talked about. Maybe new ways to torture him were hidden inside these walls. Or maybe the answer to some of Bill's many questions. Bill found a certain memory that stood out to him, almost jumped out, like it wanted to be seen. Or maybe Dipper wanted him to see it.

 _Pine Tree and Ice Bag are standing outside of Sixer's bunker._

 _"I'm really sorry Dipper. You're just too young for me," Ice Bag says, seeming genuinely regretful of her age._

 _"Heh. It's fine..." the brunette states, not quite looking like he believes himself._

 _"I hope we are still friends... " She trails off. "My summer has defineitly been much better with you here."_

 _The memory then skips to that night, up in Shooting Star's and Pine Tree's shared attic. Pine Tree is lying with his back to Shooting Star, crying softly._

The scene fades to black and rewinds.

Bill continues floating through Dipper's head space, but really isn't looking anymore. Just staring, just thinking about how Ice Bag said no. How she rejected him. Bill could almost feel the pain coursing through Pine Tree's delicate human heart. He loved how easy they were to tear out of peoples' ribcages. Suddenly a jolt went through Pine Tree's mind. He was unconsious! How exciting! Bill teleported to Dipper's dream.

 _They were standing in a field of roses again, but this time they were black mixed with the ocasional gold one. Dipper was holding the only red one in his hand, staring at it and muttering to himself._

 _"Hey, Pine Tree, what's up?" Bill asked, flying closer._

 _Dipper gave him the weirdest, most disgusted look the triangle had ever seen. One for the records. We're talking multiverse wide, here._

 _"Hey, what did I do? I haven't kissed you, Have I? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Believe me, I did not make you dream that. I am not that evil," Bill said, cackling at the obvious displeasure Pine Tree got from it._

 _"Wait, what?" Dipper said, now even more uncomfortable. "I don't really believe you, but why lie about this?"_

 _"Really, I was here to ask you a few questions myself," Bill said, avoiding Dipper's question on purpose. Never let the enemy know you._

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Well I can't say anything yet, can I? I was thinking information exchange type of deal."_

 _"Oh, Hell no! You know I'm never doing another deal with you again!"_

 _"Not that type of deal. Just a simple... promise." Bill seemed to smile malignantly._

 _"Well... okay," Pine Tree looked like he was having some doubts, but he seemed sure enough. "Just nothing likely to get me killed."_

 _"I can deal with that. They're mostly personal."_

 _"So can I ask any questions in return then?"_

 _"Yes. You can. Let's do this now, if you can stay."_

 _"I don't know. It's the middle of the day. I got knocked out by Grenda hitting me with a door."_

 _"Your life can wait for me. At worst you"ll live a few weeks longer than you should." Bill said, even though he knew exactly when, where, how, and why this boy would die. "My first question: what the Paralle Universe Me was up with your dream?!"_

 _"Honestly, I've got no clue. The only person who might know is half way around the world right now and would not condone this conversation, but I'll try to find the answer in a dream dictonary when I wake up."_

 _"Okay, next one: why did you ever like Ice Bag enough to cry over her?" As Bill made this statement aloud, he realized how jealous he sounded._

 _Upon hearing this question, Dipper blushed and stared at the blood red rose still in his hand.. "Oh... I always forget you can see my memories. I guess it was because she is maturish and rebllious and just really cool. She never gives up and is always ready to save people that mean something to her."_

 _"Well, then how come I never give up either and you just call me obnoxious and evil!?" Bill couldn't stop himself from crying out. He quickly regained composure, though it felt as if something were eating at him, making him doubt himself. Bill disappeared._

 _"Because you are usually trying to kill me or someone I love!" Dipper screamed, not yet noticing that Bill was gone._

As Bill flew away threw the mindscape, he thought about Pine Tree's famous last words. 'You are usually trying to kill me or someone I love' It wasn't really a false statement, but it made him feel... a little insecure about being so plainly evil. Weirdly enough. But who else could he be? He didn't want to be someone else, but he did. Stupid meatbags, they have too many emotions and they must be rubbing off on him from Pine Tree! Ugh. Bill felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. All his 2-D body felt separated and just so out of place. He went back to the little bubble that he managed to save of his home, the Nightmare Realm. It shouldn't be like this! He should be ruler of the multiverse by now! Not reduced to some little demon thing, bid around doing things for a master. He should have listened to the Axolotl... He should have never come back this soon. But he had stupid human emotions, and he was so very homesick. He wanted the Nightmare Realm back to its former glory. He would rule the world. He just needed the help of a few favorite trees... Birch and Pine...


	4. Memory Guns and Roses

Chapter 3

Dipper had slowly recovered throughout the day and by lunch his head only hurt half as much as it did an hour ago. The employees of the Mystery Shack also had a plan of action ready if Bill decided to try and take the world over again. But none of them quite knew what Bill was planning, so it was uncertain at best.

"You know, these kind of days make me wish Grunkle Ford was here. He would know exactly what to do and how," Dipper sighed, thinking of the good days, right before Weirdmaggedon, where he and Ford would sit and play D&D & more D all day or maybe research the strange things that happened.

"Well, at least we have half of Fiddleford back. He can probably help us if we're close to dying via Bill," Wendy pointed out, not really sharing the fond memories of Ford.

"Dude... What was even up with him?" Soos asked, his mouth full of infinity pizza. Melody whispered something to him. "Oh, right, he was shot with that memory gun to many times! That's crazy... Just think. It could randomly happen to you or me. Any day of the week!" Soos laughed.

"That's it! We can ask Filddleford to make us a one -use disposable memory gun!" Dipper nearly yelled, feeling light and hopeful for the first time since he saw Bill this year.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Dipstick?" Mabel asked, hanging from the ceiling of the kitchen.

"Well... no. But It's the best idea if we want to plan ahead at all. If you're worried, I'll forget it," Dipper responded, not wanting her to feel like last summer.

"No, no. It's a good idea. But what about school? You'd forget everything you ever learned. You'd almost have relearn everything over the weekend," Mabel pointed out, swinging down from the ceiling and landing on the table with a loud thunk.

"I can do that, if it means killing Bill again!" Dipper felt as determined as he had in his dream with the void.

"Let's go!" Mabel agreed, forgetting about the glitter glue gummy bear sandwiches she had lovingly prepared for the four of them that didn't have pizza.

They arrived at Fiddleford's new home, the Northwest Mansion. Mabel run up the long, winding sidewalk to the front door and jammed at the doorbell, making sure it was rung. Dipper trailed after her, thinking the coming social interaction through.

"Dipper, he's not answering!" Mabel shouted from the porch, worry lining her voice.

"Maybe he's out?" Dipper asked her, finally reaching the porch and panting at the long walk.

"Well let's come back tomorrow, after school," Mabel said, looking like it was more to check on him than anything else.

Sunday passed and soon the twins were back at school. Dipper was tired though, and he couldn't seem to focus on anything but Bill. Bill had come back in his dreams last night and their conversation was sort of disconcerting, mainly because Bill was not himself. Dipper had had a chance to look up his dream in a dictionary, plus ask Gideon if he knew anything. But Bill didn't want the answer anymore. He said so himself. He just looked... sad. Dipper was reasonably sure that floating isosceles monsters didn't get sad, but maybe Bill-

"Mr. Pines! Are you listening!?" Their teacher yelled in his ear.

"Wha- reality is an illusion?!" Dipper jerked out of his reverie just in time to hear himself say that to the man standing over him. Mabel gave him a 'sorry' look.

"Maybe as your punishment for not listening you can do a paper on the history of Gravity Falls? or perhaps you shall write a 10 page long paper on your proof that reality is, in fact, an illusion? It shall be due... in a week. You know what, I will be nice, and let you chose. The history of Gravity Falls or your proof that reality isn't real. Which one?" He said through gritted teeth, obviously not feeling very nice at the moment.

"I think I'll take the history of Gravity Falls, please and thank you, um, sir," Dipper stuttered, having trouble speaking currently, due to the aggressive teacher standing over him. Luckily he had a clear enough mind to not chose the one that would entail talking to Bill to prove his point without revealing anything... otherplaner.

Other than that slightly frightening encounter with his history teacher, the rest of Dipper's day was as normal as you can get with a demon haunting your head, a friend of your grunkel's who may be missing or fond of grocery shopping on Sundays, and a Mabel as your twin, all contained within Gravity Falls.

As soon as he and Mabel were both home, they immediately set of to find out the fate of Fiddleford.

Mabel ran up the walk again, far ahead of Dipper. She rang the doorbell, pressing it too hard again. No answer.

"Dipper, there's still no answer!" She screamed from the walk.

Dipper began to run up the sidewalk, and was totally winded by the time he got up there. "Maybe the doorbells broken? Try knocking..." he managed to gasp out as he collapsed in a heap on the doormat. Mabel knocked too hard, in typical Mabel fashion. The door creaked and fell, but no one on the other side opened it. It just kind of tipped over.

"Oh my God, Mabel, you just knocked the door down. Literally. I honestly had no idea that much enthusiasm was possible for someone so small," Dipper said, having regained his breath and footing by now.

"But look inside..." Mabel trailed off.

The inside of Fiddleford's house was completely trashed. There was graffiti on the walls written in what looked like blood, the many bookshelves were all on the floor with their precious books everywhere, ripped to shreds. The various couches and chairs, all plush, were torn apart like paper. It was dark inside because all the lamps and other lights had been shattered, their glass strewn across the floor which made it dangerous to walk anywhere. Dipper tiptoed carefully around the mess that was the lobby, scared of stepping on glass despite having shoes on.

"Mabel, you might want to come see this..." Dipper said, looking at nonsensical letters splattered on the wall in what could be blood. Or ketchup.

"Whoa, what does it say bro-bro?" Mabel asked.

"I have no idea. I think Bill must have something to do with it though. How much of a coincidence is it that Fiddleford, an old, half-insane man, got kidnapped right when we needed him and the other two people who know how to defeat Bill are untouchable?" Dipper exclaimed, angry at Bill for the supposed kidnapping and Ford and Stan for being gone. "Now we have no way to defeat Bill!" Dipper yelled, unable to control his hopelessness, which manifests itself in rage.

"Come on, be happy, we'll find a way. We did last time, we will again," Mabel said, feeling the despondency flowing off her beloved brother in waves of uncertain sadness.

Dipper sighed, sitting down on the floor. "What are we supposed to do if we get attacked, though? If we give up, the world, no, the universe all the dimensions, every plane, everything and everyone will suffer. And Bill's much too powerful just to punch and hope he dies."

"You know..." Mabel started, knowing she was about to say something crazy, but people expect that of her. "What if you try to make friends, or at least allies with him? He seems kinda obsessed with you anyway. Like he's in love or something," Mabel giggled, at the thought of Dipper and Bill kissing.

"What the Hell? Mabel that is... so, so you. It's so Mabellecent, I thought you would explode before you reached this level of you," Dipper said, laughing for a moment before realizing what she was talking about. "Wait, you want me to pretend to fall in love with a demon?"

"Yes! It's perfect! He'll never see it coming!" She laughed some more.

"Wait, he's a he. Shouldn't you do this?" Dipper was extremely confused, thinking about how romance worked in California.

"He's gay," Mabel explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the dimension. When Dipper began to ask how exactly she knew, she simply said, "Don't ask."

The sunset outside turning to darkness that seemed to get deeper every passing minute, so the twin Pines started home. Gravity Falls is a different place after sundown. It seems more foreboding, and the wind seems to whisper raspy secrets in your ear. The trees surrounding the town almost reach down far enough to catch you in their branches, and the street looks like it could swallow you up without making a sound.

Dipper went to sleep that night, not expecting Bill to be waiting for him of all things. It shouldn't have been so surprising.

 _Today it was a field of deep green roses. Always roses. He still had the same red one in his hands though. It had grown thorns. They didn't prick him, though. Bill floated up to him, looking more Billish today than he had the past few times Dipper had seen him._

 _"Heeeey! Pine Tree! Nice to see you again! Sorry for the past dream or two. I've been letting my job get in the way of torturing my Pine Tree," Bill said, sounding far more upbeat than last time._

 _"Hi Bill."_

 _"Now about that information..."_

 _"Right Bill. The dream, according to our local expert, Gideon, means we need to spend a lot more time together because our relationship is suffering due to personal insecurities and problems," Dipper explained. He almost laughed._

 _"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bill laughed for a while, but eventually got control of himself. "Did you tell him it was me?" Bill asked, understandably confused but not unwilling._

 _"No. But maybe it's a good idea. They say know your enemies," Dipper pointed out, trying to go along with Mabel's plan._

 _"Oh! That reminds meeeeee... I have something you want," Bill said in a singsong voice, teasing Dipper._

 _"Do you have Fiddleford?!" Dipper shouted, all thoughts flying from his mind._

 _"Why, Pine Tree, I do so happen to have a man named Fiddleford MuGucket in my possession... Why are you asking?"_

 _"I was just curious... How long can you force me to dream?" Dipper asked, trying to change the subject._

 _"Forever, as long as I don't get injured or killed in any way, and you don't die,"_

 _"You know, sometimes I really like spending nights here with you. It's so... freeing," Dipper figured he was lying. But he almost felt like it was true. "When things are calm like this and you're not trying to kill me or my friends, it's kinda nice," He thought he was just going along with Mabel's plan. That's all. If that's all then why was there a burning in his chest? A terrible pain filled him, and though it was pain it defied the laws of pain by not being truly hurtful. Dipper shivered._

 _"Well, I like knowing you enjoy the company of a sadist. There are less people than you'd think who like hanging out with me," there was almost note of sadness in his voice, hidden by a joking tone. Maybe, Dipper thought, just maybe under all that evil, there is a little bit of emotion. Just maybe._

 _"Hey Pine Tree, watcha thinkin' about there?" Bill broke him out of his speculations with an obnoxcius growl._

 _"Hmm... nothing. You can see what I'm thinking about can't you?"_

 _"Not while I'm in your dream,"_

 _They just sort of laid there for a while, not really talking, just sort of... there. It was so peaceful and bordering on intimate. They were so close to touching, but to far away to do anything about it. It was very nearly pleasant._

 _"Hey Bill?" Dipper finally spoke._

 _"Yeah Pine Tree?"_

 _"Can you turn into a human?"_

 _"Yes. With very, very powerful magic. I wouldn't really be a human, per se, but I could sort of transmute myself into a humanoid,"_

 _"Wait, wait. Let me write this down," He willed a notebook and pen into existence, and began scribbling feverishly._

 _Bill laughed softly. It was almost kind, very nearly sweet. At least to Dipper. "You are so much like Sixer. But he's not here now is he? I never see his mind anymore," Bill's voice had a joyful edge to it, like he was happy, so happy that Ford wasn't here._

 _"Can you be a humanoid here?" Dipper asked, his hand at the ready to write anything down._

 _"Well, yes... I can, but it wouldn't have any real effect on my form if you were to summon me. I would still end up looking like a classy nacho," Bill said, thinking if he could somehow trick the universe into making him a humanoid. As Dipper began to laugh, Bill replied "I know what I look like, okay?!" But he was laughing to, in his obnoxious way._

 _"Can you do it now?" Dipper asked, nervously excited to try to carry out Mabel's plan, being pretty sure he couldn't sweet talk a triangle._

 _"Okay..." Bill's voice faded away with his body as it slowly was replaced by a human shape, slowly filled in. The now about 14 year-old boy that replaced Bill had flowing, curly, shoulder length golden hair and and eye patch over one of his yellow eyes. He smiled with every single one of his teeth, plus his gums. He had a velvet black bowtie on with gold dress clothes and a black vest and loafers. He flipped his hair and for a moment after sparks flew everywhere. "Do you like it?"_

 _"Oh... Bill... Wow..." Dipper tried not to be amazed. But, then again, Bill was trying to be amazing. "You are beautiful..."_

 _"Why thank you, Pine Tree,"_

 _Suddenly a huge wind knocked Dipper over, making him fly up into the air, straight into Bill's chest, which knocked Bill into the ground. Dipper, now on top of Bill, realized just how close their lips were. Bill realized this fact first and put his hands around Dipper's neck, leaned in and..._

"WAKE UP!" Mabel was in his face in Bill's place, and she was yelling. In his ear. "BRO ARE YOU DEAD?! WHY WON'T YOU WA- oh you're up. We're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry up," Mabel abruptly stopped screaming and walked out, presumably to go get breakfast.

And Dipper's school day began again.


	5. Wind Is the Author's Best Friend

Chapter 4

Well, that went ever so perfectly, until he woke up... Bill thought he may just have to torture his sister for a night or two for that. But now it would be weird, because Pine Tree would know he didn't summon the wind. Unless... he thought he did! Maybe he could convince Pine Tree that he wanted the wind to happen, because Pine Tree would think he actually liked Bill. Everything would work out in the end for his plan. Everything. Bill floated throughout the Mindscape, looking for Shooting Star's mind. He wanted to posses her to make her fail a test. As her finally found her, he was about to posses her as when he realized she was talking to his Pine Tree.

 _"Hey, Dipper!" Shooting Star shouted, getting Pine Tree's attention._

 _"Yeah Mabel?" Pine Tree asked her, walking over._

 _This felt like the perfect time to intervene. As Shooting Star's mouth opened, Bill possessed her for a second, leaving her breathless and her attempted words forgotten._

 _"I... have... no... idea..." She wheezed, feeling every effect vividly. "I... was... going... to... say... something... but... I... forgot..."_

 _"Are you okay? Was it Bill?! It was probably Bill. This is all my fault! I was talking to him last night. I'm sorry Mabel," Pine Tree said, sounding more regretful than Bill anticipated._

 _"I'm fine now!" Shooting Star said, smiling like nothing ever happened. Such an optimist._

Bill continued looking through Shooting Star's mind, looking for something horrid to do to her. Something cleverer than physical pain, though that could always be a fall back... Something... ahh... Bill found the perfect thing to tear her apart. She likes Sev'ral Times, but abhors country music. It may be trivial, but Shooting Star is also a teenage girl. Perfect.

That day Bill found Sev'ral Timez minds' in the Falls Forest. He implanted dastardly thoughts of making country music into Deep Chris's head.

 _"Hey, wassup Leggy? How you doin'?" Deep Chris greeted the other blonde with their typical style of speech._

 _"Yo yo yo! I'm doin' just fine, D.C! How you keepin' up?" Leggy basically rapped._

 _"See, I'm good, but we be needin' to talk, yo! I've been thinkin' and I think it's time we up our music game! Gurl." Deep Chris almost painfully said._

 _"How we do that?" Leggy asked, genuinely confused, because they were supposed to be the perfect boy band._

 _Deep Chris broke out into a rap. "See what we needa be doin' is the country scene! We need all them country things, like the funky hats, and those boots with them sweet buckles. And we got to sing like we're from the south with the not sayin' the words all the way. That dawg enough for you, L.P.?" Bill shuddered at the horrid rapping abilities of these supposedly perfect boys. He had heard better rapping from The Do-Over Dimension. He had also heard the same song 5 times, so... priorities._

 _"Yo, that is dawg, it's nearly a hot dawg! I gots it!" It looked like country time was coming._

After that ordeal it was actually sunset, so Bill took his leave from voicing Deep Chris's head to go to his Pine Tree's soon-to-be dream. He could hardly wait.

 _Today, it was a field of orange lilies, but Pine Tree still held a red rose. What was up with all these flowers? Their effortless innocence and beauty was starting to make him sick. Pretty things tended to do that. Bill floated over, and before Pine Tree could say anything he transformed into a humanoid again, then floated gently to the ground._

 _Pine Tree cleared his throat. "Um... hey Bill. Why are you here?" He was so awkward it was virtually cute. So very close._

 _"I come here every night. Or have you forgotten? Maybe forgetting things runs in the family today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bill laughed even harder as Pine Tree glared at him, feeling giddy for some reason. How odd._

 _"So it was you! I knew it!" He exclaimed, looking outraged. "Bill, what did I do to you for you to do that to her?"_

 _"Nothing." Still technically honest. Ha._

 _"Ugh! You are so hard to deal with! I wish Ford was here, then you wouldn't be," He said the name like venom, like it could rip up Bill inside and make him implode. Like maybe, just maybe it could set free Glasses and set Bill on fire. And he thought they were getting somewhere._

 _"I know." A simple statement has a lot of power._

 _"And what was that wind yesterday? Do want to kiss me or something!?"_

 _"I didn't make that wind... I thought it was you...?" Bill put on his best confused face. Human faces are fun to manipulate._

 _"You didn't?" Pine Tree looked confused too. Good._

 _"Well I didn't think you did it, not really. I figured it was your subconscious, since dreams, even lucid ones, are a mainly unconscious affair."_

 _"Wait. What is that supposed to mean?" Pine Tree looked like he was dreading the answer._

 _"It means you wanted to kiss me." Bill decided to close the distance between them. His head tilted ever so slightly down, his visible eye looking directly into Pine Tree's. He'd never been this close to a meat bag before, not even Ford. Their noses touched right at the tips, Pine Tree's a light pinkish red from the chill in the field. Pine Tree still holding the rose, looking like he was having a inner battle, pushed up and kissed Bill. It was soft and sweet and innocent, full of heart and love. Bill, of course, kissed back. Bill felt the monster within him, reaching out, trying to strangle the place where his heart should have been, trying ever so hard not to let it open up to Pine Tree, maybe it was even trying to swallow Pine Tree. But Bill pushed it down, down, DOWN! Because that monster had once destroyed everything he ever loved, and not saying he loved Pine Tree, but his Pine Tree was HIS to kill. Or do anything with because he was HIS! Bill kissed Pine Tree back a little harder, a tiny shove. And Pine Tree kept kissing him. It suddenly occurred to Bill that he might be doing this wrong. He had never been kissed, nor kissed anyone before, not in his trillions of years of being alive. Not even torturously. Finally, after about a half minute of kissing each other, Pine Tree's form began to waver and fade away. He pulled away._

 _"Goodbye, Bill. That was... nice," he said, looking like he meant it at least a little bit. And then he was gone._

Bill almost felt lonely without Pine Tree there, yelling or whatever he'd be doing. Just a little lonely.


	6. Transmute

Dipper woke up. But he didn't get up. Was he supposed to go to school today? Or was it the weekend? Honestly, he nearly didn't care. He just wanted to talk to Ford. Grunkle Ford may hate him for kissing Bill, but he might be willing to talk about it as more than their plan. As a real social encounter. Dipper felt sick inside. He missed both their grunkles, but he just wanted to see Ford again. The Author. He still had a little bit of trouble believing he was related to The Author. He was like a savior, ment especially for Dipper. They were both weird, and could both relate to being made fun of, and just not feeling... right. But together they could disappear, sometimes literally, into other worlds full of weird, full of people and places like them. It was nice. But it still might be a school day.

"Hey, Mabel?" He rolled over, facing her side of his bed.

"Yeah, Bro?" She sleepily asked.

"Is there school today?"

"Ummm... Yes?" She smiled, looking happy. "I get to see Candy and Grenda today though!"

"Thanks." He was now officially miserable.

The school day went by quickly enough, and after that Dipper and Mabel went home. They got in the door and Dipper remembered things he needed to talk to Mabel about.

"Mabel, we should talk more about our plan," Dipper suggested, knowing that she needed an update on what had been going on with Bill.

"Okay Bro-bro. How well is my plan going? How much is Bill in love with you yet?" She sounded excited.

"Well, a lot, I think. We... kissed," he saying the last part in a hushed tone and blushing. He tried so hard not to smile, and it was much, much harder than it should have been.

"OHMYGOSHWHATWHATWHATYOUDIDITDIPDIPHECAN'TATTACKUSNOWHELOVESYOU!" The amount of exclamation behind her voice was almost impossible, but we are talking about Mabel so who knows what is possible.

"Heh. I guess I did," he said, continuing to blush, but this time it was of pride. But he didn't say what he was thinking. But Mabel, I liked it. Mabel, tell me what that means. Mabel, help! But he didn't say a thing because as soon as she was done screaming, Wendy, Melody, and Soos came in.

"I heard Dipper, like, saved us. What-what? How cool is that dawgs?" Soos patted him on the back, smiling brightly.

"Dude, that's pretty cool. Now I don't have to go to the work of fighting Bill again!" Wendy seemed pretty happy, but she was looking at her phone.

"Thanks Dipper," was all Melody said.

"Hey guys, I didn't do it all alone. I should be thanking you for... being there for me!" Dipper said, feeling sicker than he had that morning.

He quickly excused himself from the ensuing celebration to 'do school stuff' but really he just wanted to be alone. Once he was up in his room though, he had no idea what to do. He wanted to read the Journals, but no one knew where those ended up. He wanted to talk to Ford, but he was all the way around the world. He wanted Mabel to understand the kiss and how much he hated himself right now, but she couldn't. He wanted to scream at Bill right now, but he was afraid he would kiss him instead. He could hear the party downstairs with a surprising intensity for a few feet of wood being in between him and everyone else, but he wasn't really listening anyway. He just lay on his bed for a few hours in a state of ghostly apathy, unfeeling unseeing unhearing. And unable to comprehend the feelings brewing inside of him. There was just too much going on right now. If only time could stop and he could sort everything out. There was Fiddleford he needed to get back from Bill, his terrible feelings for Bill he needed to sort out, that essay about history of Gravity Falls he needed to do using the fake timeline of Nathaniel Northwest, and just stop Bill in general. He had to do most of this stuff perfectly, or else bad things could happen. The essay was the easiest, so he should probably be doing that. But he really didn't feel like it. He just couldn't seem to get his mind moving in the right way. It was like there was a lead weight in his head holding down all his knowledge and he couldn't lift it. Just then, Mabel walked in.

"Hey Dip why'd you leave the par-tay we're having?" She asked, looking worried.

For a moment he just stared at her, like he forgot how to speak. Then suddenly, "I hate Bill. But I kissed him and loved it. Please, Mabel, I need some girl help. Now."

"Yes! I will help! EEEEEEEEE!" Mabel seemed not to understand the gravity of the situation. But she was also Mabel. "Let's chat."

"Okay, so what am I feeling? Do I... like-like Bill?" Dipper was angry. He hated Bill. He hated Bill. He hated Bill. He hated Bill. Or so he wanted to. So, so bad.

"Yes. My diagnosis as the love doctor is that you are completely in love and Bill needs a human form right now. NOW!" Mabel pulled on a sweater with a stethoscope on it.

"How long has that been there?" Dipper asked in a sceptical tone.

"For a year. I've been waiting for the perfect time..."

"Okaaaay then. But back to the point, what about Bill?"

"Well, isn't he like a few trillion years old?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem? I mean it's kinda of like not legal at all, but he's also from another dimension, and made of pure energy, and not worried whatsoever about breaking laws anyway," Dipper pointed out.

"That's true. So the real problem is you're in love with Bill, but you don't want to be?"

"No! I am not in love with Bill! Of all the demons and people to be in love with!" He almost shouted. Mabel thought for awhile on that.

"I wonder... Bill's powers are much reduced in human form, except for strength. What if we trapped him in human form somehow and then taught him to be good? Would that break the multiverse or something?" She sounded pretty smart for once, a pensive look in her eyes.

"Wow. I never thought about that. He did say it took a lot of very powerful magic to transmute him into a humanoid shape. Maybe we could 'accidentally' use all the magic to make him humanoid, then he would be trapped until we could obtain or produce more," Dipper said, his fascination completely making him forget about his diagnosed feelings.

They soon went to bed after that conversation, as it was well after 10:00 pm. Dipper headed straight for bed, opting out of hygene as many teenage boys do, because he was done with real life and responsiBILLities and also... Bill. He collapsed into his bed, falling asleep after a brief fit of anxiety in seeing Bill again. Seeing Bill. That was what he was probably going to do next. Talk to Bill like you would a friend. Which Bill was not, just because Dipper kissed him in all seriousness for a plan does not mean that Bill was a friend. Bill just thought he was. That was it! Yes. Bill only thought he was a friend, or more than that even. But he was not. Never. But as Dipper fell asleep, he really wasn't so sure.

 _Tonight the dream was not even a field of plants. Just a barren, grassless, mud puddle that stretched on for what seemed like, and probably was, forever. But the sun was shining happily and seemed to glint of the more watery parts of the mud field. Dipper still had his rose, though it had lost it's thorns and seemed thinner and papery, though it still looked healthy enough. Just then, Bill appeared aways off in his human form, looked around for a second, then appeared next to Dipper._

 _"Hey kid!" Dipper turned around. "Yeah, you! You my friend, are a great kisser!" This made Dipper blush a considerable amount._

 _"Th-thanks?" So he remembered. Or at least isn't acting like he forgot._

 _"You're welcome!" Bill pulled him closer, his hands on Dipper shoulder blades, his eyes locked on the brunettes. He slowly pulled Dipper into a hug. "Thank you," he whispers, crying into Dipper's nonexistent shoulders. "I love you," he says through tears, his voice not quite steady enough to be recognized as his own._

 _"I l-love you too, Bill," Dipper said, knowing it was true in that second. No matter what he had said before, Dipper knew that now, he loved Bill. It was a deep kind of love, one that was a long time to find and make it real, but it was worth the wait. Dipper felt every part of himself warm up with love. He pulled Bill to the ground, embracing him in a hug and nuzzling into Bill's significantly wider shoulders and kind of just falling into him. Dipper shivered, feeling the late autumn chill even in his dream._

 _"Are you cold?" Bill asked, unbuttoning his vest and offering it to Dipper._

 _"Uh... yeah, thanks," he said, smiling, taking of his vest and putting it on. It was almost magic how warm he felt after putting it on. It was like he had put on a full sized coat. But it was really just a thin vest, but this was really just a dream. He snuggled deeper into Bill, no longer cold, but definintly still in love. Bill wrapped his arms around Dipper, burying his face in the other boy's hair._

 _"Pine Tree?" Bill asked, taking his face out of Dipper's hair for a minute._

 _"Mghf?" Dipper's mouth was covered by Bill's chest._

 _"Your hair smells like pine trees."_

 _"Do you like it?" Dipper took his face off of Bill's chest for this very important question._

 _"Of course. It's what you smell like." He said it so matter of factly, so calmly, like they had never ever tried to kill one another, like Dipper hadn't helped erase Bill from all of time and space, like last summer had never even happened. It's amazing how things change. But they invariably do. Just not usually this much._

 _"Goodbye, Pine Tree," Bill said, his voice almost cracking. Almost._

 _"Bye, Bill."_

Dipper woke up feeling lost. He felt like a stranger in his own home, like he didn't quite belong. Then he realized he was still wearing Bill's dream vest.

"Oh my God! Mabel, get up here!" He yelled as loudly as he dared so no one else would hear him. She ran up the stairs quicker than he had ever seen someone run and screeched.

"DIPPER! How did you get that vest?" She lowered her voice quickly, picking up on the fact that Dipper didn't want anyone else knowing about this.

"Uh... I don't know. Bill gave me his vest in our dream, because I was cold, but I didn't think it would stay on me..." Dipper explained, Mabel nodding the whole time.

"We need the Journals back." Mabel stated it so simply, it took a second for Dipper to understand the gravity of what she was saying.

"...Wait! We can't do that Mabel, they could be anywhere! We can't skip school for that long, let alone travel across dimensions and risk our lives! We could get badly injured or die or worse! We can't even rebuild the portal! I know we live in constant danger with Bill, because currently we know nothing about how he reacts to manipulation, but it's too dangerous to go after those books. As much as I would love too, it's also probably better that they stay gone. You remember what they caused," Dipper ranted.

"I know, but... Ford is gone... and we need that knowledge."

"I know, but we'll have to survive without him for awhile."

"Okay, Dip-Dip."


	7. I tried plot, but that was too good

Bill had the Journals. He had eavesdropped on Shooting Star and Pine Tree talking, and he figured he'd just go get them for them, because they just seemed so... unable. He found them easily, even though they were all in different dimensions. Bill grinned. It was a very evil grin. He had a better plan. First, he needed Pine Tree to trust him. Then Shooting Star. Easy enough. Then he needed a human from in the real world, not just the Mindscape, so he could sweet talk Pine into telling him how to reverse that troublesome town border easily. Then he'd need to use the Journals to rebuild the portal and reinitiate Weirdmaggedon. Fun times! Maybe if Pine Tree was especially good Bill would even save him. If Pine Tree was lucky.

Thinking of that, Bill flew through the Mindscape, looking for Pine Tree, wanting to talk to him. Needing to talk to him. About what, Bill had no clue. But he had a feeling, deep within, where his heart should have been, he needed to talk to Pine Tree again, outside of his dreams. Maybe he could convince the one that brought him back in the first place. Greg and Janice Valentino. Broken Heart's parents. Their sole goal in life seemed currently to regain their only son's love. They wanted Bill's help with that. Badly enough to make the mistake of summoning Bill without any preemptive measures of protection. Honestly, Bill had no idea how they even figured out how to summon him, but he wasn't exactly concerned that they had. In fact, he was happy. The Axolotl had told him: One way to absolve his crime. A different form, a different time. Well, more exactly, the Axolotl had told Pine Tree and Shooting Star, but that wasn't important. He had spent his centuries of 'community service' (as Bill called it) to be as forgiven as possible by the Axolotl and gain his past form back. And then almost directly after that Greg and Janice had summoned him, pleading him to help them regain their son's love and trust. Bill could admire their insanity. Time to go to work. In their communal dream, of course.

 _"Hey, Broken Heart's parents, nice to see you again! How are you? HAHAHAHAHA! I'm lying! I don't care!" Bill greeted them with a smile and a cackle._

 _"Hello Bill Cipher! Nice to see you too. Would you like a cookie? Or maybe some spaghetti? I made some in the shape of a smiley face!" Janice asked, the aforementioned food items appearing in her hand._

 _"No," he answered, setting the food on fire in her hands. "Let's get down to business. I need a human form. When we made this deal, you said you'd aid me in any way, shape, or form humanly possible. Well, I'll need to invoke your side of this arrangement if I want to get any further into your son's head and heart."_

 _"Okay, and how can I help you with that? I would love to, but I'm not magic and neither is Greg."_

 _"I need you to perform a ritual for me."_

 _"Okay, how?"_

 _"First I need you to place 6 candles in a circle in the middle of your cemetery, then recite these words: 'Conjuro te tribus utrimque ab homine, in hominis ascendentem favillam de vita et manet in alia vita confictas' after that my humanoid physical form should start to materialize. I'll be using the dead energy you have in you from working in a cemetery for so long to execute the magic. Do it tomorrow and make sure no one sees you."_

After that he vanished from their dream, feeling the need to talk to Pine Tree about this recent development. Tonight, his dream was a field of black eyed susans. He was still holding the red rose and still wearing Bill's vest.

 _"Hey kid! How are you?" Bill asked floating up and transforming into his humanoid illusion._

 _"I'm... fine. How are you?" Pine Tree smiled upon seeing Bill._

 _"I'm happy enough. Sorry I was late, Pine Tree. I had some business to attend to. In fact, that is what I'm here to talk to you about now. But first, this," he reached over and kissed his Pine Tree, quick but full of love. "Tomorrow, I will have a bodily form. I recently found some magic hotspots within this town, and will be able to perform the transmutation tomorrow. Do you have to go to that horrifying place you go to almost every day, but completely hate?"_

 _"No, I don't," Pine Tree answered, laughing._

 _"Okay." Bill thought for a moment. "Don't look for me. I will find you before dusk. I need complete concentration for this ritual, and I can't have something as cute as you distracting me," Bill smiled at his own comment. Pine Tree ran up and hugged him, burying his face in Bill's chest, sighing in happiness._

 _Pine Tree removed his face and body from contact with Bill and asked a question. "Who summoned you back here? I thought we killed you for good."_

 _"I knew you would ask eventually! HAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAAHHA! See, I can't tell you who summoned me. Breach of contract. But I can tell you why I'm not dead yet! Get comfy, because this story could take a while. So, right when you guys erased me, I managed to get the last word, as meatbags would call it. I was able to invoke, or scream, the Axolotl. They were able to help me... regain my life force, after doing some community service. In other words, The Axolotl transported me back in time, so I could grant some various figures in history my unending knowledge and wisdom. I helped Miriam the Alchemist and Alexander the Great. It was fun, but I didn't get to kill people or inflict various pains upon them. I had to basically apologize to time for burning my home down, being so sadistic in general, and killing what I love constantly. But now I'm happy and that's all that matters to me," Bill told the whole story without taking a breath, his voice cracking at the end, which he cursed himself for. He knew he wasn't happy, he wasn't even close. He was homesick and tired of saying 'I'm happy!' with a evil grin and a obnoxious laugh. All he had right now was his power and Pine Tree. He felt a tear run down his cheek. "What i-is this human emotion I'm fe-feeling?" He began to cry. First it was small tears, and they came every once in awhile. Then they got bigger, like raindrops. Then he was sobbing, thinking of his home, his family, his lost and found, made up life. He wasn't supposed to be sad. He should feel great! He should be happy, not a liar. He should be possessing someone, not sitting here in Pine Tree's dream, crying his eye out, feeling like human feces. What did they call it? Crap. That's what he felt like. And then Pine Tree was there, hugging him harder, squeezing his middle, a comforting pressure. Pine Tree was there. For him._

 _"Don't cry! I can help you rebuild your home! I don't want you to be sad, though! It might be selfish of me to offer this, but I'll help if I can! I'll try to get the others to help too! I want to tell them that you've changed, and you won't hurt them anymore! I'd need the Journals, but I can find those for you. Maybe Mabel will even help!"_

 _"Th-thank you, Mason. I have a present for you though," Bill gave Pine Tree the Journals. "You can look at them in your dreams."_

 _"What? Thank you! I don't know how I'll explain this to Mabel though," Pine Tree looked so surprised, and happy. "And thank you. For not calling me Pine Tree."_

 _"You're welcome. I love you," Bill ment it this time. Before, he had not felt anything when saying that. But tonight, he felt the place where his heart should have been grow. And it didn't hurt. Usually it was a ripping, tearing feeling. But tonight it was almost nice._

 _"I love you too. Goodbye," as Pine Tree faded out, he didn't sound scared or nervous this time, just truthful._

Bill had waited for what felt like a century for this moment. He was floating in Janice's mindscape, and she was in the cemetery. The bland grey tombstones felt comforting somehow, and their engravings told tales he had lived through. The candles were set up to perfection and Greg was off to the side, tending to a flowerless grave, there solely for moral support. Magic seemed to scare him.

Janice breathed in. "'Conjuro te tribus utrimque ab homine," She chanted, sweating visibly from the magical heat of the candles. "In hominis ascendentem favillam," She chanted the next part, shaking. "De vita et manet in alia vita confictas!" She ended with a shout and promptly collapsed on the hard-packed, dry, soil of the cemetery.

"Janice, love!" Greg shouted, rushing over to her shallowly breathing body.

Bill felt himself being pulled from her mindscape, he felt the coldness of late autumn air encircle him and at the same time he felt the fresh heat of a humanoid enclosing him. He felt his hands growing, forming flesh around him and his legs elongating. He felt himself become more than a 2-D figure in someone's head and for a second he was a 4-D being, seeing all and knowing more. Then he felt himself fall from that pedestal, becoming no more than a humanoid shaped creature. Just another lie. But this one was good. He could breath in and sense the magic leftover buzzing in the air. He felt his heart start up and begin pumping blood to his suddenly numb appendages. He breathed in and felt everything within him start, his brain began processing what just happened and his feet started to move. Over and over he felt like falling but wasn't. A weird sensation. He wiggled everyone of his fingers, feeling them and running his hands over the hard stone tombstones and their engravings. He bent down, squished and ant and stood up, laughed, and resumed his march over to Janice, who was curled over in fetal position, moaning about ghosts and dying. She looked more depressed than he had ever seen her. Good.

"She'll be better in a few hours. Don't worry, it won't cause that much brain damage!" Bill said, grinning his teeth off. He felt his vocal chords resonate and he could hear his voice. It was smooth and deep.

He continued walking, feeling like he was seeing and hearing everything for the first time. A sense of human childlike wonder enveloped him as he looked at the sunset, a mix of gold and red and pink and orange and purple. It was like the leaves on the trees surrounding him. He saw a bright star on the eastern sky and he was amazed. He looked up at the heavens, feeling himself be reborn. The cold wind blew his golden locks around his pale face and he felt the chill run up his spine. He realized his form was exactly like that in his dreams with Pine Tree. He must have come to think of himself like this. He laughed. Soon, he arrived at the Mystery Shack, feeling wondrous and alive and almost not evil. Just amazed.

He knocked on the front door of the Mystery Shack, feeling the wood grain against his hand and still being amazed.

"Hi! Can I help you?" A cheerful voice opened the door and revealed a short, bubbly, brunette with a smile that sparkled and seemed to light up the almost darkness. Shooting Star.

"Yeah... Can I speak to M-Dipper?" Bill hated referring to his Pine Tree as anything other than Pine Tree, but everyone here knows him as Dipper.

"Sure, let me get him," Shooting Star ran off at an almost inhumanly fast pace. He heard shouting of Pine Tree's name and various thumps.

"Hey, who are yo- BILL!" Pine Tree looked up in time to see Bill's face widening into a grin, full of teeth. Pine Tree smiled back, hugging Bill. Bill had never felt something so marvelous in his whole trillions of years. It was warm and comforting but at the same time not suffocating. Bill hugged Pine Tree back, tighter than ever.

"Heeeey kid! How's it going? I missed you, you know!" Bill said, his words muffled by the fabric of Pine Tree's... Wait. He still had Bill's dream vest. "How did you obtain my dream vest?"

"I'm so happy to see you, Bill! I missed you too!" He smiled. "And this vest, I've got no clue. After you gave it to me, it appeared. It's nice though."

"Hey, Dip-Dip! Who is it?" Mabel came to the door, then stopped when she saw them hugging. "You have a boyfriend?" She smiled. "MY BRO-BRO HAS A BOYFRIEND!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, happiness deep in her voice. Pine Tree pulled out of the hug, embarrassed. Just then Soos, Melody, and Wendy walked up.

"Okay, everyone, let's go into the kitchen, and I'll explain this to everyone," Pine Tree announced, looking more in charge than usual.

Everyone slowly shuffled into the kitchen, feeling the effects of such a small space.

"Okay, everyone. Let me introduce you guys to... Bill."


	8. School Work Sucks

"Okay, everyone. Let me introduce you guys to... Bill," Dipper didn't know what he was thinking. He saw the flutter of recognition in everyone's eyes, he saw their hearts skip a beat, he saw everyone lurch away from where Bill and Dipper were standing. He saw the hate fill their minds. Perfectly justified hate. Maybe a little fear. It shouldn't have been so surprising, but Dipper had grown used to Bill being there for him, not trying to kill him. Dipper smiled sheepishly. "I know it's Bill Cipher, but guys, I love him," Dipper said this with every assurance that this was the truth, that statement would calm the brewing storm. Bill smiled his signature smile.

"Yeah, but how? He can't come back unless someone summons him, right? Also, he has a body. When did that happen?" Mabel asked, scooting away from both of them in disgust when Bill put his arm around Dipper's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Shooting Star, but I can't tell you who summoned me. It's a breach of contract. They are secretive. Also, I just got this today!" Bill replied, pointing at his body and stabbing it with a fork. He then proceeded to giggle.

"Whatever. Call me if you need to be erased from history or whatever again," Wendy walked out, texting all the way.

"Dude. This is too cool!" Soos said, raising his voice at the last second. "Also, you two are together? Also, you're gay?"

"Yes, we are, and apparently, I am," Dipper said, face palming.

"Bill, can we have Fiddleford back? We need him," Mabel asked politely, smiling fakely. The least smiley smile Dipper had ever seen Mabel make.

"Yes... I guess, as a present from me to Gravity Falls, a welcome to the world present!" Bill sighed and flipped his hand, muttering some words under his breath. Fiddleford appeared, unharmed and perfectly happy. He looked well rested.

"I'll get Soos to take him back to his house tomorrow morning. Also where are you going to stay, Bill?" Dipper asked, silently hoping he'd stay with them.

"I have no idea. One thing I haven't thought through," Bill said, his eyes telling Dipper that he had thought this through, though.

"Mabel, is it okay with you if he stays here?" Dipper knew she wasn't exactly comfortable with Bill.

"Um... Is it okay if it's not okay?" She tried to smile.

"Yeah, don't worry. Bill, let's find someplace else for you to go until morning, okay?"

"Okay."

A few hotels and hours later, they had finally found someplace for Bill to sleep for a few nights. He was at the Twin Bed Motel. They seemed weirdly friendly to Bill, compared to most people who saw a supposed teenager with an eyepatch and waiter clothes. Bill was room 618. They checked into his room, and checked for bed bugs. Normal procedure.

"Hey Bill, I should go. Mabel will be worried if I stay out too long with you," Dipper realized how dark it was outside.

"C'mon kid, just a little longer." Bill laughed. "But really, it's pretty dark. Maybe I should teleport you back. I can't have my Mason getting mugged or kidnapped on the first day I have a physical form. It'd really suck, you know."

"No, I'll be fine. I've been out at night before," Dipper replied, happy at how worried Bill was about him. He leaned over to the other side of the bed, where Bill was and kissed him, long and full of love. It was sweet, feeling the kiss in real life, so Dipper had an experience, not just a foggy memory. Bill pulled him into a sitting position on the bed, curling into him like a cat. Bill kissed his cheek.

"Okay Mason, get out of here before I put you in a prison bubble," Bill joked. Or at least Dipper though he was joking.

"Bye, Bill! I love you!" This time Dipper shouted, no longer quite so afraid of hearing that sentance come out of his mouth from his heart directed at Bill.

Dipper used the golf cart they had used to search for someplace to get back home, to the Mystery Shack. He arrived back at the Mystery Shack shortly after about 10:30 pm. Thank goodness it was Saturday night. He went straight up to his and Mabel's room, only to find her waiting for him.

"Hey Mabel, you didn't have to wait up. Thanks though. I have to write an essay now, so do you need me?" Dipper asked, a little worried by her melancholy demeanor.

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I do want to ask you something. Do you love him for real?" She asked, seeming not her normal happy self.

"Yes."

"Okay. Thanks. I just needed to know. Do you think he loves you for real?"

"I have no idea."

"You should ask him. We need to know whether he's a threat or not. Also, I know you can't survive as a couple if you have different end goals. Believe me, I would know," She seemed happier now than a moment before, but still sad for some reason.

"Okay. I will, for you. But don't worry, even if he would be willing to kill me and everyone I love, we can defeat him."

"Thanks."

Dipper began to write his essay. It was long, and difficult. Though not as hard as it might have been if he hadn't discovered that the real founder of this town was not Nathaniel Northwest, but Quentin Trembley, the 8th and 1/2 president of the U.S. He decided to stop for awhile, needing to get some water for his oddly dry mouth, as he realized it was almost midnight. Dipper stood in the kitchen, thinking about what Mabel had said. Do you love him? Does he love you? It paralyzed him. He couldn't move his legs, but his heart was going a mile a minute. He was sure he loved Bill, but did Bill love him like that. It was no secret there was something special there, but did Bill see it? Dipper went and sat in the TV room, not sure he could even try to go to sleep right now. He didn't want to see Bill at this very moment. Maybe in a hour or two, but not now. Dipper sat for a long time, thinking about how maybe, just maybe, Bill didn't love him at all. How Bill might just be using him, like Dipper was in the beginning. But Dipper wasn't, not anymore. He had fallen in love. With a literal demon. And what if Bill just thought it would be a fun way to torture him? Dipper began to cry. Not like Bill had been in one of their dreams, but it was just as true. He wasn't homesick. He missed his parents, but nothing could top Gravity Falls. He wasn't angry at Bill. He was just sad that there was even a possiBILLity of Bill not loving him. He stayed in the TV room for the rest of the night, crying off and on, but mostly just sitting there. Thank goodness it's Sunday morning. He watched the dawn peek through the window in the gift shop, through the gap in the door. It was beautiful. The light pink mixed with purple and orange. He stared until it was no longer dawn, just day.

"Hey Dip-Dip. You're up early! Did you make glitter pancakes for all of us?" Mabel's voice resonated behind him.

"Uhh...? No, sorry..." Dipper mumbled as he felt his heavy, bloodshot eyes open and realized that he'd fallen asleep watching the dawn.

"Okay, Bro Bro! It's fine, I'll make them!" Mabel sounded like she was smiling.

Dipper floated through breakfast, not really tasting the pancakes or hearing anything. He didn't want to go get Bill, he just needed a break from life and falling in love and everything. He felt... shut down. But he went to go get Bill in the golf cart anyway, after breakfast. He still didn't want to worry Bill. He still managed to love him.

"Hey, kid! How are you this fine morning?" Bill was covered from nearly head to toe in briuses, scrapes, and cuts that would probably become scars.

"Bill! Are you okay? What happened?" Dipper cried out, forgetting all the pain and tears for a moment.

"HAHAHAAHHAAHAH! You're worried. That's cute! I'm fine," he added, leaning down ever so slightly to kiss Dipper. Dipper leaned away. "Whoa, Mason!" Bill said, resuming his former standing position. "Are you okay?" he asked, quieter.

"I'm... Can we talk?" Dipper asked meekly.

"Sure, kid." Bill said, petting Dipper's hat.

 **A/N: Another cliffhanger! I feel mean. I'm really sorry. It's just too fun to leave you guys hanging. I promise next chapter will be long and free of cliffhangers. Maybe I will finally top my personal best of 2,000 something words. I will also be publishing a holiday one shot by the 21st, for some fandom that I haven't decided yet. It will probably be romance. Just a warning. Maybe some poetry. Anyway, check it out when it goes up!**


	9. Love is Just Glorified Lying

Pine Tree wanted to talk. This could go so many ways, that when Bill took a minute to look through to the future, something he was trying to do less because as a humanoid it took extensive power, but he couldn't see any outcome, much less what Pine Tree wanted to talk about. Oh well.

"Sure, kid," he said anyway, because it would look bad if he didn't want to talk with Pine Tree, his supposed true love.

"So, um, let's sit down." They sat down. "I was wondering... how you think of us? Are we dating? Are we in love? Is that the same thing to you? What does love mean to a demon anyway? Because I need to know where you stand on these things if we are ever going to work out."

"HAHHAAHAAAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA!" Bill did the worst possible thing and laughed. He's a real wreck without future sight. "I think of us as a pair. Two things that should never be split. No clue what dating means, but I am in love with you, kid! You know that! Anyway, why should we talk about this sad stuff when there are so many other things to talk about. Like how pain is hilarious!" He pointedly did not answer Pine Tree's question about what love meant to demons. That is a whole separate conversation no one needed right now.

Pine Tree grimaced as Bill laughed, and through his whole speech. "Bill, you know that's not what I meant. I'm not talking to you about this because I want to. I need to. Also, let me talk to some other time about why you shouldn't hurt yourself."

Maybe Pine Tree was ready for the love question to be answered. "Love, to devils and demons, but not me, means a different thing, Mason. Love means power over the one being loved. Loved is also another way of saying manipulated. Love usually has what humans would call a malicious connotation. Bad stuff. To humans. To demons, not so much. I've adopted the human meaning when talking to you, though. Mason, when I say I love you, I mean I have this feeling in the place where my heart should have grown that feels like I'm getting one of your delicate human illnesses. I get a bad throat and my chest goes super fast and I barely feel right and I get dizzy, but at the same time, I feel wonderful, like something I could have never conceived before I met you. I, because of certain events, have forsaken being a typical demon. I love you, Mason."

"I... uh... thanks." He's so cute when he's flustered. "I have always thought I would never find anyone I could really fall in love with. I have walked through life with just friends and my parents. And Mabel. Mabel has always been there for me. But even though I'm only 13 and shouldn't worry about this yet, I never have had great luck with girls. But then you were there, for me. At least, this year. Last summer, you were trying to take over the world and kill me. But this year you have been there to talk to and laugh with. And it's nice."

Pine Tree didn't know that that story was all for show. But Bill still felt bad about it. How odd. After that, which took an hour or 2, they head back to the Mystery Shack and talked.

"Bill, can you not try to hurt yourself? I get tired of seeing you beat up. I'm sure whatever higher power is up there does, too. I mean, what if there are people up there that watch us and don't like it when we get hurt? What would you say to them?"

"That is the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

"I know, right? But, really. I don't want to see you cut, scraped, or bruised anymore, okay? In this world, harming yourself is a way of saying I'm depressed, get me help."

"Okaaaaaay... I guess."

"Thanks."

By that time, they had arrived at the Mystery Shack. Little white flakes were falling from the sky. Would this physical world ever cease to amaze Bill? He felt awe at these tiny, soft things accumulating on the ground, and the exquisite grey clouds overhead.

"Mason, what's this?" He grabbed one of the flakes, but it seemed to melt, leaving water in it's place. Pine Tree laughed.

"You're cute. That's snow. Once it accumulates on the ground, we'll come out here and play in it. Snowballs and snow forts and fighting and sledding and ice skating, if the ice is thick enough. Personally, I hate snow, but it is fascinating to watch." Pine Tree was serious about the last part. He probably wanted to look for anomalies. They walked into the Shack, where Pacifica Northwest was just leaving. Pine Tree waved, but Pacifica turned away.

"What's up with her?" Pine Tree asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Shooting Star looking more worried than normal.

"Well, here's Bill. What are we going to do with him?" Pine Tree asked, probably refering to an earlier conversation.

"Did you ask him?" Of course, Shooting Star put him up to that heartfelt conversation! He put every lie he had on the line, and that was what he got? Just Shooting Star, trying to protect her stupid twin, Pine Tree. This whole family is just a bunch of... of... Bill couldn't find a suitable insult. That was annoying. Just like everything in this human world. He should just revert back to Mindscape form.

"Yeah. Mabel, he really does love me. It's what he said, and I believe him. He said that he had forsaken the ways of demons and devils to fall in love with me." Wait... Pine Tree defended him? He believed him? He truly believed that Bill loved him. It was the most comforting thing anyone had ever said, to his face or not, about him. It warmed the place where his heart should have been and filled him with joy that should not have been possible in the hollow spaces of a normal demons' mind. But Bill, he's no normal demon.

"Okay." She didn't sound convinced.

"What do you want to do today, Bill? We have the whole day to do anything!" Pine Tree sounded happy, for the first time since seeing Bill as a humanoid. Just then, the phone rang. Shooting Star walked over and picked it up.

"Hello, Mystery Shack, Mabel Pines speaking!" She said cheerfully. "Oh my God! MOM! It's wonderful to talk to you! Yeah, he's here! Stan? No, he's... working the Mystery Shack right now. Yeah, he can call you back, but he's pretty busy these days. Yes, I know family is important, mom, but does he? Hehe. That's true. School's great! Yes, I have friends. Candy, Grenda, Pacifica? Mom, I told you about them. They're from summer. Yes, I know. Okay." She handed the phone to Pine Tree.

"Hey, mom? I'm great. Yes, I'm doing much better. I'll send it to you during winter break, okay? What? Really? Yes, I'm sure we can! Well, Stan probably can't. You know how busy he is. Yeah, it's weird, but winter break is his best time. Maybe. I don't really know, mom. How are you? That's good! Yeah, I have a few friends... You want them to come to? Um... Okay. Yeah, I'll talk to him. His name is Bill. Yeah. Bye, love you! Mabel, say goodbye!"

"Bye mom, I love you!" Shooting Star said, and Pine Tree hung up.

"Was that your mother?" Bill asked, fearing the answer.

"Yeah. She... wants you to come to Piedmont and stay for winter break. Is that okay with you?" Pine Tree sounded nervous.

"I'd love too! But the town border?" Bill felt the anticipation in his... stomach? Is that what they called it?

"Oh... Yeah. I wish I had the Journals right now..." Pine Tree smiled. "I'll figure out some way to reverse it."

"I'm counting on you!" Bill smiled. "Come here." Pine Tree walked over to him, laughing. Bill hugged Pine Tree, feeling as full of love as he could. But Bill didn't see it as love. He saw it as pride for manipulating Pine Tree. But he was wrong. They hugged for a while, enjoying the feel of it all being real. Pine Tree pulled away.

"Can I tell my parents we're dating?" He asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, I don't see why not."

"Okay. Also, we need a backstory for you. They would not believe me if I said I was dating or even friends with a triangular dream demon who tried to kill me and Mabel last summer." Pine Tree looked like he was going into obsessive anxiety mode.

"Calm down. I am a demon, after all. Lying is my thing. We'll make a perfectly believable background for this Bill... who is not a dream demon, but a nice student with straight A's at a private middle school shortly outside of Gravity Falls. He likes to read and play the violin. He has been helping you study for big tests and finals." Bill hoped he could calmed Pine Tree down a bit.

"Okay... It's gonna be okay. Thanks," Pine Tree took several long, deep breaths and he seemed to settle down a bit.

"Now let's go have a fun, free day!" Bill was happy. He liked freedom.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. There are so many things I haven't done yet, so... anything!" Bill grinned. His kind of smile.

"Well, let's do human things, then I'll show you the forest in real life, and then maybe we can go eat at Greasy's?" Pine Tree looked happy.

"Sounds great, Mason!"

First they walked to Gravity Malls. They looked around a little bit, Pine Tree showing Bill how kiosks worked, and finally settled on going to Antique Emporium. They walked around there, hand in hand, Bill pointing out things he remembered from various time periods. Bill found this surprisingly fun, and after a few hours of this he could feel his meatbag body beginning to wear down. His feet felt like lead attachments to his legs, which felt as stiff as wood. He stumbled.

"Bill, are you okay? You look... tired."

"I'm fine," Bill answered as he almost fell, using Pine Tree to get back up. "But maybe we should sit down."

They sat at a nearby table, talking for about a hour. By now, it was around 3 pm, and Bill was beginning to realize he was enjoying himself. More than a demon should. A normal demon, anyway. But by this point Bill had also realized he was not exactly your run-of-the-mill demon.

"Let's go to the forest! I wanna seeeeeeeee it! With human eyes!" Bill shouted, disturbing some nearby shoppers.

"Okay, lets go!" Pine Tree said this with more enthusiasm than someone should when dating a demon.

Soon, they were off to Gravity Falls Forest. It was a pretty long walk, and yet again, they held hands the entire time. This was a rare period of silence for them, though, and Bill just thought. He thought about his Pine Tree mostly, but also some about how beautiful this dimension was once you were on it. He also thought about how he was so happy. He really shouldn't have been able to feel joy. He had no heart, even if there was a space for it in this form. He had no heart, so why did it feel like he could hear his heartbeat through his chest?

"Bill... do hear that sound?" Pine Tree asked, looking worried.

"What sound?" Bill jerked out of his thoughts.

"That thumping."

What Bill thought was his non-existent heart was really a giant's footsteps. And they were getting closer.

"It's a giant!" Pine Tree shouted as soon as he realized what was happening.

Bill said nothing, simply stuck out his hand and shot fire out at it, rendering it lifeless. He smiled. He had forgotten how fun killing stuff was! He had also forgotten how much he loved fire.

"HAAHHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAA! I love killing things! Isn't it great? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHHAA!" Bill could do this for hours. He got lost in the joy of killing, and did not even notice Pine Tree's smile fade or his hand drop from the other boy's.

"Bill?" Pine Tree's scared voice broke Bill's sadistic rage joy.

"Huh? Oh your God... Mason, I'm sorry," Bill could feel the fear radiating off Pine Tree. "I'm so, so sorry." It was not natural for a demon to apologize. "I'm sorry I still have a demon heart. Or, really, lack thereof," Bill really was sorry. He ruined his own plan.

"I- It's fine," Pine Tree stuttered, trying to put up a "I'm okay" smile. He failed. That almost made Bill feel bad for killing the giant, at least while Pine Tree was watching. Bill felt the place in his chest where his heart should have been grow a little bit. Pine Tree seemed to try so hard to overlook his demonish tendencies. It was probably out of love, knowing Pine Tree.

"No, I really am sorry. I shouldn't lose myself like that around you," Bill didn't know why he said that. He might just be going sane. That was a disturbing thought. Demons don't apologize. Bill was turning into a mockery of a demon, and somehow he didn't care, because he was happy for the first time in a long time. And this time he wasn't lying about it. After that brief, yet scarring, encounter they decided to walk home. Well, Bill walked Pine Tree to the Mystery Shack, then drove away in the golf cart to the Twin Bed Motel. He walked up to his room, number 618, and flopped down on the bed. What was happening to him? He didn't

want to make Pine Tree unhappy or scared or even just lie to him. It felt weird, but he was just so... happy here. He didn't want to ruin this beautiful thing. He also used beautiful for the first time in his life, unironically. He was still homesick, but it felt different. He could almost feel a heart growing in his chest. It was painful, but still pleasant. How odd. Before long, Bill fell into a deep, dreamless, but full, sleep. He woke up the next morning with a renewed resolve. He would carry out his plan! No matter what!

Bill drove back to the Mystery Shack quickly after a burning hot breakfast. Pain is hilarious! But not around his Pine Tree, he sternly reminded himself, not wanting to scar the brunette again. He almost felt bad about that. Almost.

"Hey, Bill!" Pine Tree ran up to him, looking so very happy. Pine Tree hugged him, and hugged him again.

"Hey, kid! What are you so excited about?" Bill was quite genuinely curious.

"I'm just glad to see you again!" Pine Tree grinned. "I've got to go to school today, though, so I won't be around."

"Okay. Is that that place you do the torturing with?" Bill saw Pine Tree's eyes fall at the mention of torture, but they quickly brightened again.

"Yeah," he said, laughing.

So Pine Tree was gone for about 8 hours. That was... miserable. It was dull. The sky seemed so very grey. Then the phone rang.

"Hello, Not So Mysterious Shack, how can I help you?" Bill answered the phone. "Oh, um... you're Mason's mother? yeah, he's not here right now. Sorry. I'm his friend Bill. Oh? Yeah, my private school has different hours. Yeah, I'll tell him to call you back. Stan's not here either, sorry. He's running errands. Okay. Goodbye!" Bill let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Talking to your boyfriend's mother was surprisingly stressful. He wondered why. It's not like he was nervous to meet her or impre- Crap. He was nervous. That was so un-demonish, it almost scared him. Not to far from it. But demons didn't get scared. Not good ones, anyway. Just then, Pine Tree came through the door.

"Hey Bill! Miss me? Admit it, you missed me!" Pine Tree smiled, and Bill decided to laugh. He could remember saying that to Pine Tree on numerous occasions.

"Of course I missed you!" Bill ran up to Pine Tree and kissed him. "Also, your mother called. She wants you to call her back."

"Oh my God. You talked with my mom?!"

"Yes... I swear I didn't curse her."

"Did it go okay?"

"Yes, I told her I wasn't in school because my private school has later hours. It's fine."

"Okay," Pine Tree breathed in and out slowly for a minute. "Okay. We've only got this week to come up with a backstory for you, now that I think about it. We should do that tonight. I'll ask Mabel if you can stay over."

"Okay!"

Pine Tree went and asked Mabel, then he excitedly came back to the TV room.

"She says it's okay for one night!" He smiled.

"Great!"

So they stayed up the whole night, creating a backstory and persona, really a character, for Bill to play during his stay with the Pines' in Piedmont. William "Bill" Cryptos. A student at the private school right outside of Gravity Falls, and worker at Edgy On Purpose. He and Pine Tree met while Bill was on break one day. None of this would stand up to any closer inspection, but Piedmont was a far away place. After that they went sleep, intertwined in each other's arms in the chair. Bill was so exhausted. He felt his eyes close as Pine Tree's breathing became even, and right about the same time, they feel asleep. It was nice, having someone else there to guide you when you were drifting off. Bill woke up late the next morning, and Pine Tree was already gone. He was disappointed, because he had wanted to kiss Pine Tree again, before he left. But that would just have to wait for another day. Or a few hours. It didn't really matter to Bill. he just needed to see Pine Tree soon. For some reason, there was this hunger deep within him, this feeling. It felt like pure pain, but it was nothing Bill had ever felt before. It was also not very hilarious. It tore him up inside. So, he began to pack for Piedmont, remembering that Pine Tree said they only had this week to get ready. Bill was nervous. So very nervous. But he wanted to get out of this town. It was too close, but yet not quite close enough to his home. This town really just reminded him that he was never good enough to fit anywhere. He was the demon of weirdness, after all.

 **A/N: And there you have it, folks! It took me 3 days of nearly solid writing, but I got 3142 words, 376 sentences, 146 paragraphs, 12.6 pages, and 17215 characters! The longest chapter I have ever writen. I'm very proud of myself.**


	10. Meet The Parents

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately guys. I've got stuff goin' on. You probably won't hear much from me until at least the 21st, so keep holding on! Anyway, I wanted to thank all you wonderful people out there who read this and review and follow and fav. It's so amazing to me that people like my writing, and I am over the moon whenever anybody reviews, or really anything. It helps so much with life to know that people enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy writing. Have a fantastic day!**

Dipper came home. Really, he walked. Gravity Falls was small enough that he could do that. It was nice. Once he got home, Bill was there, waiting for him. He ran up to Dipper and hugged him.

"I packed!" Bill said, smiling.

"Great! I need to pack to. We're leaving on Friday afternoon, so get ready to become Mr. William Cryptos!" Dipper said, jokingly. Bill pretended to be normal. It didn't look pretty. "Okay... let's work on that," Dipper said, laughing now.

Soon after that, Dipper called his mom back. She would hate that he even had to wait a day, but better late than never. Especially with her.

"Hey mom! How are you? I'm good. Yeah, thanks to Bill for telling me to call you back. We'll leave on Friday. We should be there early Saturday morning. It was the only time I could get tickets straight to Piedmont for. Don't worry, Bill's just going to ride the bus with us. No, he's not. Just because he goes to private school doesn't mean that. Mom, he's fine. Don't say that! Mom, really? I'll see you on Saturday, okay? Yeah, I love you too," Dipper was bothered by the fact that his mom had said Bill sounded weird. What could his mother know about weirdness? She didn't know about Weirdmaggedon, or even Gravity Falls secret. She had never been to this place where he felt so at home, even when it was in shambles, and after summer's magic escaped, or even when he was back in Piedmont, CA. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was where he should end up, after everything, after time, that his soul would come back here. She didn't even know Bill like he did. She didn't feel out of place everywhere she went, unless she was here. She had no idea what was going on in his life. And she couldn't. It would break such a normal person's brain. It made him sad to think that he would have another part of his life which would never be shared with anyone other than those who understand this town's peculiarness, but there was Mabel, Wendy, Soos, Melody, Bill, Grunkle Ford and Stan, Pacifica, and Fiddleford. Those people would be there for him, no matter what happened. They could understand. Dipper thought, caught in a reverie after his mom hung up, until Bill poked him.

"Kid. Are you okay?" Bill asked, looking worried. Dipper must have had a distresed expresion on his face.

"Hmm? Yeah... I'm fine..." Dipper trailed off, still looking feverish. So Bill took Dipper in his arms, swinging him around, an twirling him. "Bill! I didn't know you knew how to dance!"

"You learn a lot of interesting things when you're constantly destroying dimensions and are a trillion years old," he answered, contiuning to guide Dipper around the TV room in a ballroom stlye of dance. It was fun. Dipper flew through the air, but Bill always caught him. He felt safe enough, for being with Bill. It was hard not to feel unsafe when you were with a demon who could as easily posses you as make a deal with you. Sometimes those things were one in the same. Just ask Bipper. They danced in a dizzinging flow of motion. It was beautiful. Somehow Dipper was letting Bill guide him, but was still holding his own. They were both laughing soon, which caused them to fall over. Their tumble was just as amazing. It was like Bill had choerographed it all. They lay on the floor, laughing, out of breath, and all their problems out of sight. It felt amazing.

"Wow. I didn't know... I could ever be that cordinated," Dipper said, still laughing and gasping for breath.

"That was just more... exerting and amazing and wild than I have ever been," Bill said, smileing. "I know how crazy that sounds, but I'm ruleing out times people got hurt," he added when Dipper stared at him doubtfully. Soon, Mabel was home from after school activities, and "cooking" dinner for the 3 of them. It was... Mabelish. Dipper thought she seemed kind of sad, for Mabel. But, Bill was here, so that wasn't surprising. They talked a little, but it was mostly silent. Dipper feared for the small talk that would happen during Bill's stay at Piedmont. From this small example, it would be ugly. Quickly after that awkward meal, Bill left and Dipper was left alone with his thoughts and Mabel. Small comforts. Dipper finished his essay on the history of Gravity Falls. He did other, regular homework. It was really a pretty boring night. Dipper went to bed early after that. He felt dried up and tired. But someone else had different plans.

It was not a field this night, nor anything else Dipper had seen before. It was just empty space. A blank void to fill with anything. But then there was Bill. He floated over to Dipper, looking happy.

"Hey Mason!" Bill hailed Dipper and dropped on to what Dipper guessed was the floor. "Been a while since we've done this, huh?" Bill laughed.

"Yeah. It has. Did you make this place?" Dipper asked, not quite sure how he felt about his sleep being interupted.

"Yep! Do you like it? It was an original! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly, the floor caved in and Bill began to fall. Dipper felt a strong sense of déja vu from this, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen this. The floor opened up into Piedmont, California. Into his house. They fell into the dining room, and soon were seated upright at the table, facing his mom, dad, and Mabel.

"Oh, Dipper, Bill Cipher. How nice of you to finally drop in. Please, make yourselves not quite at home," his mother said in a completely monotone voice, but she was smileing. She looked dazzleing, but something was off... her eyes! Her eyes were a dull green, almost puke colored, instead of their usual chocolatey brown.

"Um... thanks mom. Are... you okay?" Dipper asked, forgetting he was in a dream for a moment.

"I am not okay, son. I am not okay because you have misbehaved. I am not sad, yet... wouldn't it be a shame to make your dear mother sad?" Her eyes suddenly flared a bright red and she opened her mouth, revealing about 5 more rows of teeth than a normal human has. They were all very sharp and looked perect for tearing flesh. They also released a nasty rotting stench into the room, which smelled like vomit mixed with beer breath. Her face peeled off to reveal greenish skin with a gnarled, monsterous grin that seemed to take up her whole face. Her eyes disappered in the folds of skin that enveloped her. Her hair stayed the same, and that was almost the worst part. Her hair was perfectly intact, even after all the gross tranformation. It was flowy and brown, but not to wavy as it didn't get into her eyes. Her dress and neckless stayed on to. Dipper was frozen in absolute horror of the situation, completely forgetting that this was dream, forgetting about Bill, forgetting about everything other than the ensuing panic that overcame him. He felt a vauge sense that he should move, that maybe he should run, very fast, as the woman that used to be his mom stood slowly and lurched toward him. He could swear he didn't move, he could swear he couldn't, but as he blinked he was outside his house, running with Bill down the street. He almost stopped again in a terible realzation that similer figures of people he once knew were pouring out of every house in sight. It was the people he had grown up with, the very people he knew like the back of is hand, and their friends, and their friends, until the whole city was chasing him. Chanting something about him sinning. And suddenly nothing was there. Not the city, not even the grotesque mockery of his friends and family. Just Bill. Bill and the void. That beautiful void.

"Hey, Mason! Are you okay? Was that your family? What the hell was wrong with that?" Bill looked worried.

"I'm... I'll... I'll be fine. That was my family..." Dipper felt tears well up in his eyes as he spoke, the panic tearing up his chest and lungs and throat. "I don't know... they said something about me sinning... but I haven't done anything, right?" Dipper broke down into tears at this question. "I don't know... what I could've done."

"I'm sure you didn't do anything. It'll be okay, and we'll figure out what's going on, okay?" Bill reassured him, but he still didn'T feel quite right. Dipper stopped crying though. He felt a little better, because Bill was there. Without warning, Dipper jolted awake. He was pouring sweat and had a headache. Tears mixed with sweat on his chim and chest. His heart was still racing, and he was shaking.

"Dipper? Are you okay?!" Mabel looked close to tears.

"I just had the worst dream! I was falling into a dinner with you and the rest of our family, but then mom turned into some kinda monster and I was chased out of the city and they were chanting about me sinning... and I am so scared..." Dipper was crying by the end of this.

Mabel just hugged him. She held him tight until his breathing was setled and his eyes stopped being waterfalls. He whispered a thank you, and fell back to sleep, his mind empty of Bill or dreams or anything but sleep.

He woke a few hours later, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. It was beautiful sight, but it could not shake his mind off the dream. He was tired, but he had school, so he lugged himself out of bed and down the stairs. He ate breakfast slowly, taking his sweet time to lick all the Mabel syrup off his pancake, before taking small bites out of it. He got ready quicker after breakfast, but he still seemed to move in slow motion. Eventally he and Mabel walked to school, but he was even slower than usual, which was saying something. He got to school, he went to his first class and sat down. He did that for every class. He didn't try to pay attention, he didn't even try to ask questions or raise his hand. When he and Mabel got home, he flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't even focus on the odd wood pattern. The world was just not in his mind's eye today. But this went on for the rest of the week. Even Friday morning, he couldn't seem to get into his head that he was going home! Home! So why didn't it feel good? Or at all? He had even managed figured out how to reverse the town border effect from careful study of the Journals. He was going home with his sister and his true love! He got home from school and found Bill asleep on the couch.

"Hey, Bill!" Dipper poked him once.

"Yeah?" Bill asked sleepily, not really seeming to registier anything.

"It's time to go to Piedmont! Come on!" Dipper felt nervous energy buzzing in his stomach, like bees.

Bill slowly got up, and shaking the sleep out, he screamed:

"I AM READY TO BECOME WILLIAM!" It was kinda random, and Dipper jumped about 5 feet in the air. But off they were, to go back to Dipper's house. He wasn't quite sure how to feel as they got on the bus, Mabel and Pacifica intact, but he knew he could sort it out on the 3 hour long bus ride.


	11. Boredom Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

The bus ride passed slowly for Bill. The minutes crept onto hours that seemed to creep on to days. He knew that it wasn't possible, but Pine Tree just sat listlessly, with a permanent expression of twisted fear on his face, and Shooting Star was whispering quietly to Blondy. He was so... so... bored? Is that what this dullness was called? He was very bored.

"Hey," Bill whispered to Pine Tree, to no avail. "Hey, Mason!" He whisper-shouted, waving a hand in front of Pine Tree's paralyzed face. Pine Tree shifted away from him, his eyes not unfreezing in the slightest. "Mason," He was speaking now, hoping for some kind of response. Nothing. "Mason!" Finally he shouted, disturbing Shooting Star and Blondy, and making Pine Tree jump. "Mason, are you okay?!" Pine Tree barely acknowledged him this time. He turned just his head, ever so slightly to face Bill and gave a short nod, as if to say keep talking. "Mason, I'm worried about you. You haven't said a word all this trip. I have never seen you like this before. Please, say something?" Bill pleaded, his last words almost a beg. Minutes passed and Pine Tree said nothing. His face was a mask of fear and panicky desperation. It was genuinely concerning for Bill, though he didn't quite understand why. Bill was very nearly afraid himself, though for what he had not a clue. Finally, Pine Tree spoke. Bill never realized how much he liked Pine Tree's voice before he heard this frail parody of it.

"I am fine. Trust me," Pine Tree looked like maybe he was trying to smile, but forgot exactly what muscles to move, so it turned out half-baked and almost a look of pain.

"You are not fine!" Bill protested, amazed that Pine Tree, an awkward teenager, would have the audacity to try to lie to him. About being okay, of all things. "Look at your face!"

"Okay, I may not be fine, but I'll get there. I just need... stuff."

"Very helpful. I'm going to go insaner if I can't help you!" Bill threatened. This was not very convincing, because Pine Tree probably knew that Bill really couldn't do that. "But really, I want to help you."

Instead of answering, Pine Tree snuggled into Bill, burying his face into Bill's chest and pointedly covering his mouth in a bunch of Bill.

"I understand if you don't want to talk, but tell me one thing first," Bill begged. "Why do you like me?" This made Pine Tree pull his head off Bill's shirt and stared at Bill. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm not sure..." Pine Tree looked lost in thought at this. "I love you because you have this... thing about you that I can't quite capture, it amazes me and leaves me wanting, almost needing more. I just couldn't stay away from you, even if I was trying. You're very simply magnetic! If I tried, I'm afraid I would crumble, even if you hadn't put a curse on me," All of Pine Tree's unused words flowed out of him, as he smiled. Bill thought about Pine Tree's wonderful voice. His voice was comforting, somehow, though demons don't really need comforting. It was nice. As Pine Tree finished speaking, Bill smiled his... beautiful smile. Pine Tree laughed, but it was a hoarse laugh, like he hadn't done that in ages. Bill buried his face in Pine Tree's customary vest, and sucked in his wonderful pine tree-fresh air-gift shop-moldy attic smell. It was better than you think. Bill leaned upon Pine Tree's small shoulder and closed his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. He felt himself fall into a half asleep state and could feel Pine Tree's even breathing fall. He must be asleep to. The hour or two they had left in the trip passed quickly enough, quicker than Bill expected. He was thrown out of his seat as the bus slammed to a halt. Bill caught Pine Tree as he was falling too, so they body slammed the seat in front together, both bruising, even if Bill was able to shield Pine Tree from most of the hard parts. Pine Tree groaned. They all walked off the bus in one piece though, so Bill was really laughing, on the inside.

"Mabel! Dipper!" A woman and man yelled from a ways away. They ran quickly up to the group.

"How are you? Oh, nice to meet you, I'm the mom of these two! You must be Bill and Pacifica! I hope nobody died!" She looked so happy. She cracked up at her own joke about death. Bill laughed too, because death is funny. "Ha! See, this one, Bill I would guess, this one gets me!" She obviously was not laughing for the same reasons, but Bill nodded and smiled. Not his smile, because Pine Tree had told him earlier not to. A perfectly normal humanoid smile. Because William isn't a demon. He is a normal human child. Totally. It felt weird and sort of painful to stretch his lips over his bones like that, but hey. It just made laughing easier. The woman hugged Shooting Star, then his Pine Tree, tightly. It was odd to see another being hug Pine Tree. It almost made Bill jealous. Almost.

"Sooo... Mom. This is William, but he goes by Bill. We are..." Pine Tree took a deep breath, longer than necessary. "Dating... I hope you don't mind..." His mother stared at Bill and Pine Tree for awhile.

"Dipper, you're gay?" Bill could see the hurt appear on Pine Tree's face. He grabbed Bill's hand.

"I guess..." He breathed in deeply.

"Okay. And we'll have to talk about you dating later, a boy too, okay?" His mother breathed in and out, her breath freezing in the cold air. His dad was dead silent. Pine Tree nodded numbly. Blondy stared at Pine Tree, looking like she couldn't believe her eyes. Maybe she was surprised by his bravery, but Bill wasn't at all. He had changed a lot since last summer's events. So had Bill. Or at least the place where his heart should have been did.

"Hey, mom! Dad! Let's go home so we can get some sleep! I'm so tired, I could die." Shooting Star spoke up, and Bill knew it was to save Pine Tree. She was a good sister. Sometimes Bill was almost jealous of how sweet she was to Pine Tree, and the rest of the world. She almost made him want a family.

"Okay, honey." Her dad spoke. They all walked to the car their parents had brought and drove back to the Pines' family home. Bill decided to investigate their house in the morning, because he was tired to, despite the half sleep he got on the bus. Pine Tree and him were in separate rooms for some reason. How odd. Shooting Star and Blondy got to be in the same room. Bill was the slightest bit resentful of that. He would have to ask Pine Tree why later. In the morning. When everything felt less heavy.

The morning came, but the sunrise wasn't quite as pretty. It was different somehow, duller. Not as stunning. Bill looked around. It was time to live like a human!


	12. Piedmont

When Dipper arrived at Piedmont, he knew there was trouble. He didn't know what it would be, or who would cause it, or even how he knew, just that he did. The bus was unsteady and threw him against the seat in front, but Bill caught him and no one died. As soon as he saw his mom, he had a twinge of regret. It was her. It had to be. His mom and dad ran over. It was so funny to see them run, Dipper found himself laughing. They greeted each other, with lots of hugs and yelling. He could feel the stares of others, but he didn't really care for once. He was just so happy to be back to see his house and his parents. He didn't feel quite right, but that was beside the point. He was back!

"Sooo... Mom. This is William, but he goes by Bill. We are..." Dipper took a deep breath and let it fill his lungs, just in case. "Dating... I hope you don't mind..." He could feel his mom's stoic gaze upon him and he tried to just breath. Act like Bill wasn't a demon, just another boy.

"Dipper, you're gay?" Dipper's face wrinkled at the tone, his heart taking a blow. Dipper grabbed Bill's hand for comfort, feeling the smooth, soft skin of his palm and squeezing his hand. Bill squeezed back.

Dipper breathed deeply again. "I guess..."

"Okay. And we'll have to talk about you dating later, a boy too, okay?" He could see his mother breath in and out slowly. Dipper's dad was dead silent, looking like he was in hell. He nodded stiffly, feeling more than the chill of just the air. Dipper could feel a lump in his throat, urging him to cry, to just let everything he was feeling out into the cold early morning air, but he didn't. He couldn't.

"Hey, mom! Dad! Let's go home so we can get some sleep! I'm so tired, I could die." Dipper loved Mabel in that moment. He knew she had said the perfect thing when their parents began to move towards the car they had brought and motioned for every one to pile in.

"Okay, honey," Their father said in a loving voice. They drove back to their home in the middle of the suburbs. It was still the same old boring place, but it was also comforting that it hadn't changed at all.

He was escorted to his room by Bill, who was in turn ushered away by his mom. She wouldn't let them sleep in the same room, unsurprisingly. He lay down, not even bothering to take off his vest or change into his pajamas. His bed was soft to his tired bones and he drifted off easily, almost effortlessly. He was okay, at least a little, because he was at his own house.

The morning snuck up on him. It was night and he wasn't dreaming and it was nice, because Dipper was tired, but then the morning was there with Bill, shaking his bed and waking him up.

"Mason, breakfast!" Bill shouted in Dipper's ear.

"Okay, I'll be there in a second..." Dipper mumbled, fumbling the covers of his bed.

"Also..." Bill pulled him out of bed then kissed him quickly on the lips. "That."

He and Bill walked downstairs, the glorious smell of fresh baked pancakes wafting up to the stairs.

"Hey honey! How did you sleep? His mom asked, smiling, as she poured maple syrup and butter over the pancakes.

"I slept great!" Dipper responded, smiling back. "What about you Bill?"

"I slept... well." Dipper willed Bill not to say anything unhuman-like. Luckily, Bill seemed to be on the same page.

"Good," his mom said, handing off the plates of pancakes she had been working on and sitting down at the table next to Mabel. "What about you, Mabel?"

"I slept great! Me and Pacifica had a lot to talk about, but don't worry, we got to sleep by... 3:00!" She smiled, but Dipper realized she wasn't quite so crazy as when they were at Gravity Falls. Maybe she felt the same way he did? Maybe she just wanted to appear sane in front of their mom. Just then, Pacifica thumped down the stairs, looking like she forgot her make-up case. But some how, she was still enchanting. But she was also smiling, which was odd. At least for her.

"Hello, everyone! Good morning, Mrs. Pines!" Pacifica smiled dreamily.

"Good morning, Pacifica!" Their mom answered.

"Hey, Pacifica!" Mabel shouted, patting the seat on the other side of her. Pacifica sat down next to Mabel.

They all ate a big breakfast that was reminiscent of Christmas morning when they were toddlers. Dipper was happy. It wasn't Christmas yet, but it would be very soon. Only 2 days! He had to get presents for everyone, including Pacifica, which would be challenging. But he saved the world. Dipper could do this.

After breakfast they went outside, just in time to see the snow start coming down, and fast! There was maybe and inch right when the opened the door.

Mabel shouted "SNOW!"

Bill held his hand out and caught a few flakes. He brought them up to Dipper's face and smiled his inhuman, toothy smile.

"Bill, why aren't those melting?" Dipper whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Are they supposed to melt?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I suppose that since I am not really human, just energy in a humanoid form, the typical laws of nature don't really apply to me. Also, I am pretty cold anyway, so that might have something to do with it. I can make them melt!" Bill smiled again as he began to freeze and unfreeze the snow that had gathered upon him.

"Bill, can you just make it look like you're very human?" Bill nodded, made a face, and the snow began to melt normally. He laughed at Dipper's current face, one that looked like it was trying to decide whether to kiss Bill or yell at him. Before Dipper could decide though, his mom whispered to him.

"Dipper is your..." His mom gulped. "Boyfriend okay? He looks very cold."

"He's fine!" Bill chimed in to his mom, before Dipper could answer. "Or he will be as soon as he's a little warmer!" Bill pounced on Dipper, hugging him. It was warm and sweet compared to the current wheather conditions. Bill pecked Dipper's soft cheek and he blushed at his mother, who was surprisingly laughing.

"Bill..." Dipper trailed off as he hugged the other boy and his words got muffled in Bill's thin attire of sweats and a hoodie. Dipper realized Bill had nothing on under the hoodie. There was no reason Bill would know you needed something else on under a hoodie because Dipper had simply informed him to choose a top and pants, but really, Dipper would have thought Bill had seen someone where one of these at least once.

"Okay everyone! We all need to get gifts for each other before Christmas! I want us to all go to the mall together, but after that, split up as you please!" Dipper's mom shouted, pumping her fist in the air. He realized this is where Mabel got her Mabel from.

"Let's GO!" Mabel shouted, running to the car and pulling Pacifica into it with her. Pacifica actually jumped into the car with her. Bill laughed, then ran to the car and jumped on top of it. In a moment of panic, Dipper ran up to the car and took Bill's hand, forgetting that the demon had super strength, thanks to the fact that he was... a demon. Bill pulled Dipper up with him in an amazing display of strength, forgetting that there were others around him. They sat on the top of the car for a horrifying moment, Dipper poised to scream, but his words were silenced by sheer amazement of Bill. The sun behind him was casting a halo of snow around his golden hair and giving it an orangish hue, turning it to fire. He was smiling his geniune smile. It was kind of sheepish.

"Oops," he whispered, still grinning. Dipper started hyperventilating. Dipper's mom was too.

"DIPPER! ARE YOU OKAY!?" His mom and Mabel screamed at the same time, a sense of urgency in both their voices.

"Yeah... I'm... just... wonderful," Dipper huffed, his heart going a mile a minute.

"Bill? What did you do?" Dipper's mom asked, confirming his worst fears.

"I..." Bill's face flushed in the realization of what he had done. "I... I-" Dipper interrupted Bill before he could say something demony.

"He takes gymnastics and was practicing for a contest he has after break!" Dipper smiled.

"Oh... hmm..." His mom seemed to buy it enough.

"Let's get to the mall!" Mabel shouted, breaking the tension.

So they drove to the mall, mainly silent but there were a few whispers from Pacifica and Mabel. Eventually, they arrived.

"Okay, team, FAN OUT!" Dipper's mom did the military salute and got a few odd looks from bystanders, but that's why we love her, right?

Dipper and Bill went one way, off east, where it looked like there would be good gifts for Mabel and Pacifica. A.K.A Girly stores.

"So, Bill, eventually we'll have to split so we can get gifts for each other, but I want to show you around first," Dipper said, thinking that Bill wouldn't know his way around.

"Okay, but I want some help with my human interactions. I never had many normal ones in Gravity Falls," Bill asked, looking somewhat sad.

"Kay. Bill, I have a question," Dipper said, Bill's expression reminding him of a question he had for the blonde demon.

"Bang."

"This isn't my question, but did you mean shoot?"

"Maybe,"

"Are you still wanting to go back home? Are you still needing help with that?" Dipper was worried about Bill.

"Yes, I am. And yes, I do," Bill's face screwed up in an effort to hold back tears. Dipper hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mea-"

"It's fine," Bill interjected, looking not very fine at all.

They walked on, finding gifts for everyone but each other. It took about a hour to just do that, and Dipper knew he would go insane trying to find the perfect gift for Bill. They were just heading back to find his mom when he saw something out of place. A girl and a boy standing in the middle of the hallway. They looked like siblings, both having dirty blonde hair and pale skin. Their brown eyes were filled with crystalline tears that streamed down their faces. Dipper then saw a man walking away from them, grinning like a demon. Dipper ran up to him without even thinking, forgetting Bill and Christmas, even forgetting that he got nervous in these situations, forgetting everything but that man. He needed to help those kids. They reminded Dipper of him and Mabel.

"Hey! You!" Dipper shouted in a voice that didn't feel like his, Bill on his heels. The man whipped around, looking startled.

"Yeah?" The man asked nervously, walking a bit faster.

"What did you do to them?!" Dipper shouted back, pointing to the crying children.

A squeaky voice came up from behind Dipper. "He stole my sister's purse!" It was the brother. Dipper ran faster, attracting the attention of many people, but he couldn't stop now. The man ran faster as well, skidding down an corridor. Dipper caught up to him though, probably from some magic of Bill's. Even in this state Dipper knew he wasn't this fast.

"Stop! Give her back her purse!" Dipper shouted, pinning the man's hands against the wall next to him. The man tried to wriggle free, but he couldn't. This was definitely magic. Usually Dipper couldn't hold down Mabel, much less a grown man. "Let go of the purse..." Dipper growled. The man actually dropped it. Bill came through the arched entrance of the hall, leading a mall cop down to where Dipper and the man stood.

"Well, thanks kid! I never would have seen that with all the mishaps that have been going on lately. You shouldn't do that in the future though. He could have been dangerous," the cop explained as he put the man in handcuffs. The cop then left, not even waiting to ask Dipper why he did that, or how, or anything really. He left just in time not to see Dipper fall to the floor, trembling, his heart beating in his throat.

"Hey, Mason, are you okay?" Bill looked horrified.

"I don-don't know. I-I think s-so," Dipper fumbled his words. Bill silently grabbed his hand and pulled him up, walking him, holding him, to the exit. Dipper mother ran up, looking terrified.

"Oh my God, Dipper, honey, are you okay!?" His mom nearly screamed.

"I'm okay, mom."

"Now tell me why the hell you did that?" His mother wasn't afraid to use coarse language around anyone if her children's safety was involved.

"I don't know what came over me, mom. I just couldn't see that little girl's heart break and someone get away without me trying to help. I guess she reminded me of Mabel if Mabel had no spirit. It just made me so sad. I'm sorry. I knew he could've been dangerous, I just couldn't stand by and let that happen!" Dipper felt tears welling up in his eyes. Oh great. "I swear I'm okay though, mom!"

"Okay..." his mother gazed doubtfully back at him, her glassy eyes staring into him like only a mothers can.

They all shopped around a little more and Dipper taught Bill many key things about human interaction, like shaking hands in a way that's not painful and normal conversation flow. They mostly practiced on shop keepers, but Dipper wasn't to worried about seeing them again, because he was going to spend the rest of the year in Gravity Falls anyway. He hoped. Sometimes his mom decided to change her mind for whatever reason sporadically. But Dipper didn't want to leave Bill, or the rest of Gravity Falls.

After they were all sure that everyone had gifts for everyone, including their father, they went home. Dipper breathed in the frosty air as he stepped through the doorway. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering to the fact that his parents still wanted to talk to him about Bill, and dating in general. It scared him slightly to think of what his dad would say about him being gay, ad the fact that his mom was obviously still quite worried about Gravity Falls, Bill, and their Grunkels. Or in reality, lack thereof.

"Earth to Sir Dipping Sauce! Hi!" Mabel waved her hand in his face, jerking him out of his fearful reverie. "Hi, Bro-Bro. I need to talk to you."

"Hey, Mabel. What do you need?" Dipper was tired, and had just gotten in bed. He wanted to go to sleep.

"I need to talk to you about... a lot. But most importantly, Pacifica! I think... I have a crush," Mabel said, the most uncertain Dipper had ever seen her.

"Can we talk in the morning? For my sanity?"

"Okay," Mabel relented, and Dipper drifted off to sleep, dreamless and peaceful.


	13. Dipper's Probably Gone

Bill drifted off on the wings of peaceful sleep just as the full moon began to shine through his blindless window, upon him. It was nice being in a not hotel bed, a bed that was soft and comfortable and not probably filled with bugs.

Bill woke with a start. It took him a second, but he finally realized just what had woke him up. Voices. Soft ones, but nonetheless voices. One was Pine Tree's sweet tone, one was his mother, one was what Bill presumed to be his father given the manliness. They whispered, but Bill was a demon and could here them clear as the sky on a hot summer's day. Bill quickly turned himself invisible with a short incantation and got up and walked out. He would have cast a silence spell too, but that was an area effect spell and would have silenced their whisperers as well.

"Dipper, do you understand?" His mother's voice.

"Sure..." Pine Tree sounded deflated. Empty.

"I can't believe it! My own son, a gay! I know, I know, I shouldn't have expected anything else... But, really, I thought I raised you better! You could at least pretend!" His dad. Bill still wasn't quite sure what 'gay' was, but he knew Pine Tree's dad was upset.

"But, Dipper, when you're 16, okay?" His mother again. She sounded sad, but at the same time like she was happy. Maybe about hurting Pine Tree? Stupid woman.

"Hey, dad?" Pine Tree sounded so meek. But Bill could see something shining in his eyes. Something maybe like... courage?

"Yeah?" His dad still sounded angry.

"Don't talk to me that way." This was a statement, a fact. Bill had never seen his Pine Tree act like this, except during Weirdmaggeddon, and that was towards Bill, so it wasn't quite as hot. Maybe this was like Weirdmaggeddon for Sixer, but Pine Tree style. This was Pine Tree's worst case scenario, his chance to show his true colors.

"What did you just say?" His dad's voice rose, from a whisper to normal volume.

"I said don't talk to me that way." Pine Tree's voice was calm, but defiant. He looked completely in control. "I don't appreciate your tone, because I am gay, and you should be okay with it. You don't have to love it, but please, don't be so rude."

"Keep your voices down! You'll wake everyone!" His mother whispered, urgently. No one heeded her warning.

"I don't want to be nice about this! I can't stand gay people. I know I'm not in New Jersey anymore, but really, at least I hold true to my grandfather's beliefs! It is tradition from when being gay wasn't accepted that we still don't allow them to be a part of our family!" His father exclaimed, with feeling. He was shouting now, and Shooting Star had come out. She stood next to Bill unknowingly, her face covered with regret.

"Are you saying what I think you are?" Pine Tree looked hurt, but his voice was still devoid of emotion.

"If you think I'm saying after Christmas you leave and never come back, then yes, I am saying that." Pine Tree's mother sadly nodded, like she was agreeing silently.

"Well, it won't be much of a Christmas without a family," he retorted, with a face that could kill.

Pine Tree walked off, out the door, and into the night. Shooting Star began to cry quietly next to him, her tears shining as they rolled down her face and soaked into her floppy disc sleep shirt. Bill quickly made himself visible, then gestured for the brunette not to scream. He waved at her to follow him back to his room.

"So, that just happened," Bill announced once they were in his room.

"Yeah... I either just lost a brother, or a dad and mom. I'm just so worried about him. What if he doesn't ever come back?" Shooting Star fretted.

"I'm... sure he'll come back. He doesn't seem like the type to just leave. And we both know him pretty well. He wouldn't leave without us, right?" Bill awkwardly patted Shooting Star on the back, like he'd seen others do, but she flinched at his touch. Not surprising.

"Right."

Bill looked out the window at the rising sun. Pine Tree still wasn't back. But he would return. Right then, Bill was wishing he had some way to track or communicate with Pine Tree, some kind of telepathic bond or something like that. Maybe one of those phone things. Bill had stayed up all night since 2, when Pine Tree walked out. Shooting Star stayed up with him for a little bit, and they talked about everything under the sun. Life and death and love and birth and peace and war, all on the planet earth. They talked for a long time, nearly 2 hours, but Shooting Star had mentioned that she was tired and Bill had told her to get some sleep for her fragile meatbag body. They laughed at that, then she left. After that Bill had really just been waiting, feeling so weirdly empty. It was... like he couldn't quite find a place to fit without his Pine Tree there, opening doors and windows for him to climb in. Bill had a vague sense that this is what Pine Tree meant when he said that he missed someone. It was dull and painful, which was insidious, because it wasn't even the funny kind. Just as Bill began to drift off, almost giving up that Pine Tree was coming back anytime soon, he saw a short, brown haired boy walk slowly up to the front door and stand there. Bill didn't see what he did next because he was up and out of his room within a matter of seconds. He rushed into Shooting Star's room, not even thinking, just knowing Pine Tree would want to see her, and vise versa.

"Shooting Star, get up, Mason's here!" Shooting Star was up and out of bed before he had even finished talking, which was quite impressive, for a human, anyway. Blondy quickly followed suit.

They ran down the stairs, and Bill had to keep himself from passing the speed of light because he was so excited. Also, because Pine Tree's mother was watching from around the corner. Shooting Star flung the door open with such force to shake the wall that it was attached to. Pine Tree sat on the concrete in front of the door, crying. He looked lost somehow, like he didn't quite know how to keep going.

"DIPPER!" Shooting Star screamed, louder than Bill had ever heard her before. "I was so, so worried! Are you okay?" Pine Tree looked up as she started yelling, and the look on his face needed no telepathic bond with Bill to tell him what Pine Tree wanted.

"I'm-I'll be okay, Mabel. Thanks." It was a silent scream that Bill heard within his voice, a small echo of what he had said earlier that morning.

"Mason, don't ever do that again!" Bill's voice was oddly meek.

"I can't stay here," Pine Tree said softly, ignoring Bill.

"I know," Bill said back, and pulling Pine Tree from the cold concrete porch he smiled, his Bill-demon-monster smile. Pine Tree grinned back, doing his best imitation Bill smile.

"Mabel, it's... okay, I guess, if you want to stay. I know they're still you're parents. I'm sorry to put you in such a terrible position," Pine Tree smiled weakly at Shooting Star, his normal smile this time.

"I... I'm gonna stay here. But I'll call you, and I'll come back after winter break, okay?" Shooting Star looked so close to tears, she almost made Bill want to hug her. Bill frowned at that thought. He wasn't supposed to think things like that. He was a demon, for Satan's sake!

"I'm staying with Mabel," Pacifica's almost forgotten voice rose up behind them, also shaking.

"Okay. Bill, are you going to come with me?" His voice was shaky. Bill wanted to make a joke so, so badly but that seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Of course!" Bill was almost surprised he'd had to ask.

"Let's pack, then we're out, okay?" Pine Tree's voice had stopped shaking. It had an edge now, like he was preparing to go to war. Bill guessed he was, in a way.

"Great."

They were all packed, their tickets in hand, ready to go back to Gravity Falls. Now all they had to do was wait for the evening, as the buses ran from Piedmont to Gravity Falls in the early evening. They played various games, like I Spy and the licence plate game while looking at the road that ran in front of the bus stop. They talked and talked about loneliness and how cold it was and last summer and Pine Tree's remaining family. Bill never knew how pleasant it was to just sit and talk, without another care in the world. And sometimes they didn't even talk, they just sat there, looking at the snow clouds that relentlessly pushed out flurries, holding hands. It was the nicest Bill had ever felt. He could feel that strange ripping in his chest again, the hole where his heart should have been growing, the pain that wasn't funny, but wasn't miserable either. The coldest wind Bill had ever felt brushed his hair into his face, but conjured a thought. There were a million other places in the world. Citys, monuments, parks, coordinates. Places Bill had never been, or had been when there was less of a barrier between him and the world, even between him and space. Bill had never known the world as it stood today through a humanoid forum. Only Gravity Falls.

"Hey, Bill?" Pine Tree asked once they were settled on the bus and well on their way home.

"Yeah?"

"How do you want to celebrate Christmas? It's tomorrow, so we'll be back at the Mystery Shack by then."

"I think... I want to celebrate it the human way! I've witnessed many Christmases, but I've never been apart of one."

"Okay," the other boy tenderly layed his head upon the blonde demon's shoulder and sighed. "We can't have a real normal human Christmas, because it's usually spent with close family and all my family is away, but we'll try." After that pathetic statement, Bill felt the brunette's breathing grow even and soon he knew the other boy was fast asleep, making up for time lost that morning. Bill thought he'd better try that too, even if he wasn't really in the sleeping kinda mood. So he slumped over, and closed his eyes, careful not jostle Pine Tree. Soon he was asleep too, his breath coming out in short bursts that rustled the tuft of hair on top of Pine Tree's head.

"Bill. Bill. Bill!" Pine Tree shook the demon awake. "Bill, we're here!" Pine Tree's voice had an odd note to it, almost musical.

"I'm up!" Bill shouted grumpily as he stood up and grabbed the suitcase Pine Tree had loaned him. They walked off the bus, each of their hands holding a suitcase and the other's free hand.

They walked up to the Mystery Shack, and Pine Tree looked like he was so, so happy. The happiest Bill had seen him since they got on the bus to go to Piedmont. Suddenly, the brunette gasped and stopped walking.

"Bill. My Grunkels are back."

That single statement made Bill shiver. It made Bill fear for his life, but more so than that, it made him fear for everything he had built here. The love of his immortal life was here, and he wasn't going to back down without a big fight. The barrier was gone now, and as soon as he could make sure Pine Tree would follow him through a second Weirdmaggeddon (because stupid Bill had gone and got attached to a meatbag), he could bring Weirdmaggeddon worldwide.

"What do we tell them? That you've gone and fallen in love with me? Your great-uncle Fordsie's worst enemy and his best nightmare. That'll go over super well," Bill said sarcastically.

"I know, but it'll be much, much worse if we try to hide the fact that you're Bill Cipher."

Before either of them could come up with a passable plan to not have Bill die, Fez walked out, to do who knows what and noticed them.

"Oh! Hey! Ford, get out here! Dipper's back!" Fez yelled from the front lawn, the ran over to where they were standing. "Oh, and who're you?" He asked, looking directly at Bill.

"Hello, Dipper! I'm excited to see you so soon. I tho-" Sixer cut himself off as he saw Bill. "Oh no. You didn't. Did you?" Sixer's face was a mask of worry and terror. Bill took a special amount of pride from making his ex so terrified.

"Well, I guess you're sharp as normal, Sixer," Bill said, his voice deepening when he said Ford's nickname.

"Grunkle Ford! I didn't re-summon him, I swear! Or give him the humanoid body, either! I just managed to..." Pine Tree sighed, and before he could keep talking, Bill grabbed his hand.

"We're dating, Sixer. Get used to it," Bill interrupted.

"Well that was unexpected!" Fez shouted out.

"Stan, everyone but you expected this," Sixer choked out. "Why don't we go inside to... talk about this. Okay?"

"Okay!" Bill exclaimed, but Pine Tree just collapsed and started to cry. "Mason, are you okay?!" Bill was worried. Pine Tree was still sore from his parents' blatant abandonment of the brunette's style of love. "Sixer, he just had a run in with his parents. We might save this discussion for later," the blonde demon suggested.

"Well, what happened?" Fordsie sounded so oblivious. It was hilarious.

"His parents disowned him, just this morning," Bill gently helped Pine Tree up off the ground, kissing him lightly on the head.

"Dipper! Are you okay?!" Sixer exclaimed.

Pine Tree pulled himself up, off of Bill, and smiled. But he looked like crap. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was messy. He was shivering and the usual circles under his eyes were much darker, like he hadn't slept at all for the last 24 hours. He basically hadn't, other than the maybe 1 hour of sleep he got that morning and the 2 and a half hours on the bus. His only response to Sixer's question was a strangled word that took a minute for Bill to process.

"No."

"Let's get you inside and out of this cold... Have you been eating well? Come on, we'll be your family now. Don't worry. This will all turn out okay," Sixer didn't sound too sure, but Bill was confident in his Pine Tree to be able to keep on living. He was stronger than he looked.

Pine Tree nodded and slowly trudged inside, not looking like himself, but not quite looking like someone else either. Fez walked in after him and when Bill turned to follow, Sixer stopped him with a hand to his chest.

"What is it, Fordsie?" Bill was tired of Sixer talking already.

"I know... you are not the same demon you were 30 years ago, but Bill, please don't hurt him. I can't stand the thought of him hurting right now more than he is. Also, I'm watching you. Keep that in mind. I'll be there if he calls for any kind of help," Sixer sounded serious.

"HAHAHAHAHAAHAH! I wouldn't hurt him for the life of this worthless humanoid shell! Don't worry, Sixer, this time I mean it when I say I love you... to him. He doesn't have a bottomless void I can fill for my own personal gain!"

Sixer just glared at Bill, then walked inside. Bill just shrugged and smiled, walking

inside.

 **A/N: Wow. This chapter has some pretty heavy stuff in it. But it does feel good to write a Bill chapter. Also, I just got over 1,000 veiws on the 27th, so I just wanted to thank everyone for reading this! I can't put into words how much this means to me, especially since I've had some nasty stuff going on lately. I also wanted to thank LumpyApple for being 70% of my reviews! It's great that someone seems to like writing them as much as I like reading them. And yes, I'm a nerd so... I actually did that math.**


	14. Normal is a Lie Told to Me By My Family

Dipper felt like total shit. It was strong language for a boy his age to use, he knew, but he felt like it. Also, is it really that bad if you just think it? He was tired and his boyfriend and closest family member, all Mabels aside, hated each other. He couldn't feel anything but pain. It was like a burning in his heart, like a wildfire that burns down a forest. But Bill was there, next to him, on the floor of his room all night. It hurt a little less to see someone who cares so very obviously stay there, just for him. It was cold in the attic this time of year, it being winter and all. But tomorrow was Christmas, and Dipper could celebrate it with Ford, Stan, and most importantly, Bill. Maybe Bill would get his traditional human Christmas after all, and maybe Dipper would heal a little. Maybe Ford and Dipper's boyfriend wouldn't fight, maybe they would have a big dinner, maybe, just maybe, everything would go perfectly. Dipper turned on his side, so he could watch the peaceful breaths of Bill, the air flowing in and out of his body in the miracle of artificial life. The blonde demon looked so cute like this. It was amazing, how a being that powerful could look so small when curled up under a few layers of blankets. Dipper couldn't sleep. He was tired, but the peace he needed in his mind to sleep was just not there. He tried to clear his mind, but more thoughts just kept pouring in, like water in a broken drinking fountain. So he was a prisoner to his bed, too tired to get up, too awake to go to bed. He layed there all night, gazing at the ceiling, then Bill, then Mabel's posters, then he closed his eyes and tried to sleep again. 2 hours - no dice. He went on like that for the rest of the night, switching between looking at those things in almost that exact order. Just to keep himself sane. But, eventually it was morning.

The orange light shone through the stain-glass window shaped like Bill, casting a shadow of the light that would have been there if they were outside.

"Hey! Mason?" Bill sat straight up at a 90 degree angle and smiled his smile.

"Yeah, Bill?" Dipper sounded as he felt. Dead.

"Are you okay...?" Bill sounded badly worried, a dramatic twist from how he had sounded a few seconds ago.

"Umm. I'll think on that. Is that all?"

"I guess so," Bill sighed. "I just wish there was some way I could make you feel better..."

Dipper let himself fall from a sitting position to laying on his back. He felt a sudden weight on the bed and looked to the side, only to see Bill there, sitting next to him. Bill offered him a smile before picking him up and cradling him in his warm, strong arms. Dipper always forgot how strong he was.

"Let me tell you a secret, Mason, my dear. I know you know I'm homesick, but you know what really eats me up inside?" The blonde demon sounded strange and sad compared to his usually electric demeanor.

"What?"

"I killed them. All. My family, my friends, my home, my dimension, my heart. I destroyed it. The one I most regret though, that had to be my family. They would've loved me if I had just told them what was happening to me. I wasn't born a demon, you know. I slowly evolved into one. I went insane. After that, my heart desinigrated like ash. So, I want you to know you're not the only one with a limited family group, if that makes you feel any better," Bill's face was heavey with regret and his voice cracked more than once, but he didn't cry. Dipper snuggled into Bill's chest, garnering comfort from the demon's soft chest and steady heartbeat.

"Where's your limeted family?" Dipper asked, wondering who they were. Would they be demons? Or maybe other fantastical beasts he had yet to meet?

"They're right here!" Bill said, the happiest he had sounded today. Dipper looked around cluelessly, trying to spot these invisible marvels. "It's you, and Fordsie, though he doesn't know that I treasure him at all, and Fez, and Shooting Star, and maybe even Blondy, depending on where that goes! My home is Gravity Falls, and ever since you came here, Mason, the Pines' family has been mine too!" Bill sound so... so... happy! Various things that were lying around the room began to raise up with Bill's wild hand gestures, and a few books and some of Mabel's CDs flung themselves around the room, including a new CD of Sev'ral Times that was country. Dipper remembered hearing Mabel complain exstesively about it. Dipper smiled, even laughed.

"Thanks Bill. I love you," The brunette said with smile behind his eyes.

"I love you too, kid," Bill grinned back.

They spent most of the morning like that, since no one came to get them for breakfast and Dipper didn't feel like getting up anyway. Bill petted his fluffy hair and whispered calming things into his ears. Surprisingly, neither of them fell asleep, even if they were close sometimes. And it was okay. Dipper still felt empty and beaten down and terrible, but when you're with someone you love so much it feels like this undescriable vunraBILLity, but you can't help but be enamored with it when you think about them, all that pain and all the fears just melt away. And they might come back, but in the very moment, you don't care. It felt like a fever to Dipper, hot and searing but at the same time too cold to bear. And in that moment Dipper honestly didn't care. He was with Bill, his true love. It would all be okay.

After a while, they both went down stairs to find a make-shift fake Christmas tree waiting in the living room. It was large and made out of various metal scraps painted assorted shades of green. It looked like something Ford made, usurprisingly. It was lit up with a thousand different kinds of lights and it blinked red, then green, evry few minutes.

"SURPRISE!" Ford and Stan jumped out from behind it.

"We thought you'd like a real Christmas, so Ford put this together and I stol-bought gifts!" Stan sounded so happy.

"Wow... Thanks..." Dipper was amazed. "How did you guys have time for this?" He felt Bill grab his hand and grip it tightly.

"Well..." Ford laughed awkwardly and blushed. "Bill helped me, for your sake. He took control while I slept. I hope you don't mind,"

"How could I mind! I love you both more for it, anyway!" Dipper exclaimed, hugging Bill.

"Awww. Thanks, Mason!" Bill hugged him back as Ford glared at them both.

They had a wonderful Christmas. It was just the way Christmases were supposed to be, with good cheer and full of family. Or as much family as could be there. They did have a wonderful Christmas, but then the ceiling fell in. There was a rumble, them a crash. And then as they were sitting there, Dipper got really dizzy. Like spinning around in an office chair for too long dizzy. He felt strong wind on his back, then nothing as he fell to the ground. He dimly heard Bill screech his name and more crashing in the background. And then it was all black.

 **A/N: Sorry this one's kinda short, guys. I'm going on hiatus for a while. I've got a lot going on right now, and don't really have time to post a whole lot. But don't worry! I'll be back around March! I just can't keep up, as I'm sure you've noticed.**


	15. Problem Solving

**Hi guys! I'm so glad to be back, even if it feels like Feburary went way too fast!**

Bill saw the ceiling next to them fall, then his poor Pine Tree soon after. His panic overtook his better mind and he screamed, pulling Pine Tree up off the ground and holding him close.

"Bill!? Is this a doing of yours?" Sixer shouted, over a loud booming that had started, not unlike thunder.

"Of course not! I would never endanger Mason like this!" Bill was so outraged that Sixer would even think that he would, especially after he saw how much Bill cared for the preteen boy.

"Well, I'm sorry that I'd blame a freaking DEMON for trying to kill us all!" Sixer screamed, silencing everyone in the room. At that Bill fell to the ground and started crying. Bill realized, with Fordsie's harsh words, what he was. As the tears poured down his face and pooled on Pine Tree's, Bill began to realized just who he had been for the past trillion years. He was a freaking demon. That's all. He's a freaking demon, and that fact will never change.

"I will change!" He cried out to no one in particular. But of course Sixer responded.

"No, you won't, Bill," It wasn't quite a threat. "Demons don't magically change and I don't care that you're not a real demon. You still have a demon's heart."

"No, I don't. I love Mason, something that a demon's heart would never be able to do. And I don't care if you think that this love is all a ploy to gain a favor. Because I'm OUT!" Bill obnoxiuosly shouted that last part, then teleported himself and Pine Tree away.

"Bill, where are we?" Pine Tree's sweet voice softly emanated from the cave not far from a stream that Bill knelt on the rocky bank of.

"Mason! I'm so glad you're up! I was so worried."

"Where are we?"

Bill slowly stood up and made his way into the cave, holding a small bowl he appeared to have faishoned out of limestone. "We are not in Gravity Falls, if that's what you're wondering. I had to get us away from those infern- um... annoying twins. Your Grunkles. Sorry to leave without telling you, but you were out,"

"Okay, okay," Pine Tree sat up, looked around, and sighed. "Okay, but where are we?"

"I have no clue. But I know we're not in Oregon! My powers are slightly erratic now that I'm not a triangle in your head. Please, don't be mad?!" Bill smiled sheepishly.

"Okay. I understand- sort of. But why did we have to leave Gravity Falls? You could have at least left me there, and a note," Pine Tree reasoned.

"I know. There were a million better desicions, but I was scared and angry and stupid. I've never felt that stuff before. You tend to be a little sheltered when you're an omicent demon."

"Bill, what religons have you encountered in all the years you were free?"

"Well," Bill started, thinking. "Many polytheistic religons that are much too complex for me to explain now, Judaism, Buddisim, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, Wicca, the various Gnostic sects, and Islam. Religon shapped the ancient world and contiunes to shape at least Gravity Falls, so of course there are too many other important ones for me to list. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to prove something. Bill, I think that you've truly adopted a human's mindset. You talked about those religons uncondecendingly. You're no demon anymore," Pine Tree sounded so happy.

"Yeah!" Bill cheered fakely. "But listen. I've got some bad news. I... can't stay here much longer. The physics of this world aren't used to me. I warp time and matter in ways that would break your head to know. I have to leave," Bill's voice broke, and a few tears streamed down his face, just to fly up, into his golden blonde hair. "If I stay, this place will collapse."

"Can you teleport me back first?" Pine Tree begged.

"Sure."

Bill grabbed the brunette's cold hand and closed his eyes. He took a great, heaving breath and then there was a flash and they were back. The Mystery Shack stood in front of them, whole and unharmed. And surprisingly well-kempt.

"Do you have to leave now?" Pine Tree looked at Bill with puppy eyes. It broke Bill's newly formed heart.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Wait," Bill started as Dipper's face fell. "In theory, since I have everything human... I could rid my self of my powers and... stay. But. I don't know what that would do to my," Bill gestured around wildly, trying to find the words. Luckly, Pine Tree seemed to know what he meant, as he nodded in understanding.

"That would be... wonderful! But I wouldn't want you to get hurt or... anything like that," Pine Tree sounded genuinely worried. It made Bill's heart warm.

"I'd be fine!" He was lying. Bill knew very well that the process would more than likely not leave his various bodliy functions functioning. Bill concidered it. He turned it over in his head. He despertly loved his percious Pine Tree. But he really didn't want to leave his powers. They were a part of his sole, his life, his self. But maybe he could try to find something else just that important and maybe he wouldn't die and maybe he could build his own life here, without those vile monsters he called friends back in the Nightmare realm. And with that, the human-demon thought that maybe he could just make this work.

 **A/N: Sorry this one's short. My life has been heck lately and I still have extending circumstances from my month and a half long leave. From here on out, these chapters will be shorter and there will probably be little new growth on my account. I refuse to shut down this story though, so don't worry! I love the Gravity Falls world and fandom too much to let this go. Thank you all for your extended support during these busy and hellish times!**


	16. Bill's Probably Gone

**A/N: Sorry it's short.**

Dipper started. It was midnight judging by the fat moon shining through the triangle window and he realized that he must've fallen asleep. Bill's arms were wrapped around his neck like a living piece of beautiful jewelry. Bill's striking hair was strewn all across the pillow and his eyes were peacefully closed, a soft smile the likes of which Dipper was sure he'd never seen on Bill. Dipper lied his head softly back down on the pillow, electing not to wake the other boy up.

"BRO-BRO! GET YOUR BUTT UP! IT'S ALMOST NOON!" Mabel's voice cracked multiple times during that scream, but she seemed unaffected.

Dipper made a muffled inhuman noise and lifted himself up with his arms.

"Mabel, where's Bill?" Dipper asks, fully awake now. She shrugged and skipped out of their room. "Well, I guess that's my morning," he said to no one in particular. But someone did hear, someone he would've loved to see, someone he was looking for. Dipper always managed to forget Bill's magical eyes at the most convenient times. That may or may not have had something to do with Bill.

Dipper quickly got dressed in his customary navy vest, orange tee, and cargo shorts in a boring shade of beige. He walked - no, he lurched down the wood stairs. His vision swam as he did, which made it exponentially harder to do so without injury. Bill still watched from some other long forgotten relic of his likeness. He felt bad for his... what were they? The not-so-demon realized he had no idea what to call their relationship, in human terms. In the Nightmare realm, they called thing such as this sinful. Anyway, he felt bad for his Pine Tree, but he knew he had to leave him or sacrifice his powers. He knew he would sacrifice his powers. There was no choice, just him and Pine Tree and their passionate, yet still innocent, love. Bill loved it more than life itself.

Dipper never did find Bill. That day, that hour when he woke up in the middle of the night, was the last time he saw Bill. The days flew into weeks and soon it was time for Dipper and Mabel to head back to school. Dipper just assumed Bill hadn't loved him that much, not quite enough to give up his powers and his glory and his own freaking dimension. Dipper didn't even blame Bill. His parents' theatrical reaction and abandonment had taken quite a toll on his self esteem, with which he already had issues. Dipper, despite Mabel, Ford, and Stan's constant arguing, began to believe that he was worth a little less than the next man. He began to believe no one could truly love him, save Mabel, Ford, and Stan. And he was okay, for the most part. Mabel worried, but that's what good sisters do for their odd brothers. Of course, he had no idea, but Bill still watched him. Bill still loved him. Eventually, it was time for school to be out for the summer.

June's sun shone brightly down on the strange, quaint town of Gravity Falls. It looked like it hadn't for a long time. The winter had been harsh, but it finally let up somewhere near the middle of May. Dipper walked along a path in Gravity Falls Forest, long forgotten by all but him and two others. He was usually sad, but the first day of summer reminded him of Bill. And Bill reminded him how much it hurt that he was gone. In the back of his mind, Dipper knew many things, but not one of them he dare even whisper in daylight. One of those thing was that Bill loved him. Bill wouldn't just stop loving him. In the very back of Dipper's mind in a little nook that was covered by cobwebs of spiders long dead, he knew that, but the rest of him didn't. Suddenly, he felt eyes bore into the back of his head, making his neck hair stand on end.

"Hey! Who's there?" The question came out meek and depraved, a hoarse mockery of what Dipper used to sound like. No one but an excited squirrel answered him. He couldn't shake the feeling, though. Dipper kept walking. The leftover leaves crunched under his feet. A few late-spring wildflowers popped through the leaf litter, bringing a finite amount of flashy color to the woods. Dipper whipped around, swearing he heard a crash behind him, but there was nothing there.

Dipper walked until his feet gave out and the sunset was beginning. Then he crawled to the nearest clearing, desperate for a night under the stars. He fell asleep soon enough and dreamed. He dreamed of Bill. Because what else does the absent lover's mind go to when left to it's own devices?

Dipper stood in a field of black roses, just like old times. Not quite sure what he was doing here again, he looked around and, seeing a certain demon far in the distance, ran. Fast. He came upon the demon, a surprisingly sad sight. His human from was in chains and his triangle form floated shortly above. He was crying, fat tears swelling at the edges of his eyes and running lazily down his bright red cheeks. He whimpered.

"Bill?" Dipper asked uncertainly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. Before he could, Bill's voice interrupted him.

"Don't!" It came from the triangle.

"Wait! Is this a lucid dream?" He asked the floating Bill.

"Yes, but it won't be if you touch him. You'll be transported to his cell, and that's the last thing I need right now."

"Where are you? Are you a prisoner? Are you okay? Is this why I haven't seen you for 6 months? Are you okay? Do you still love me? Who did this? I'm gonna rescue you, don't worry. Please, say you're okay?" The questions and statements and statements that sounded like questions flowed out of Dipper's mouth like a river just being released from a dam, before he could even process what the Hell was happening.

"Whoa! I'm not in trouble. Don't worry about me. I'm just having... unintended difficulties... in the context of getting rid of my powers. I'm sorry you had to see me this way," he reassured Dipper. "Don't worry, I'll be okay," he added quickly as Dipper's mouth opened again.

"Okay," Dipper answered quietly, a smile spreading over his face like a disease.

"You should get some sleep. I'll be back before you know it. I still love you!" And as Dipper plunged into a magical Bill induced sleep, he felt better than he had for far too long.


	17. Because Pain Is Hilarious!

Bill screamed in horrendous pain. It was a horrible sound, really. Something between a dying dragon and getting slowly ripped to pieces then sewn back together. The humanoid figure in robes standing over him didn't even flinch. In fact, she seemed to barely even move at all. She was talking, though, soft and slow in a language not even Bill cared to know because it was so long dead. She was the only one who knew what how to speak or read it. It was flowy and beautiful. It sounded like a downy summer breath whispering through pine trees. Pine Tree. He was waiting, still. That thought made a single tear run down his cheek, in an almost poetic fashion.

Bill looked macabre, with his once bright blonde hair now matted with grime. His cheeks were a bright, feverish shade of red and his suit-vest and white dress shirt filthy. His shoes looked tarnished from their normal shiny, polished state. His lips were cracked and bleeding, having not been served water by the woman, who was the fabled Oracle. She thought little about his current needs or wants, more focused on killing the main evil that had plagued her for years. His skin was pale and he shivered when the slightest breeze blew.

Every day, Bill writhed as much as could in his magical restraints, flinging them off every once in a while just to be placed back on again with a calm word from The Oracle. She said something to him that made him calm down a little, but that could have just been the unfathomable exhaustion finally taking it's toll from six months, three weeks, two days, four hours, sixteen minutes and eight seconds of near constant agony, desolation, and twisting. But there was the one light at the end of the tunnel, the thing that kept Bill alive, conscious, and not at all turning to the way of death anytime soon. It was more of a phrase, or a litany, that Bill whispered to himself when the nights got lonely or painful or anything, really. He said it and shrieked it, as loud as these stupid human lungs could, and he sang it out over and over again to make it pretty. Sometimes he had such a peaceful mentality that in spite of the horrific pain, he recited it to make it sound like poetry. He hummed with the energy it gave him and his eye kept it's undying, almost mirthful, look. It was what his dreams were spun out of, when he found enough of a solace to go to sleep.

And it was the simple "Pine Tree." The statement that helped him survive, but more importantly it helped his spirit to thrive.

Another day, another ripping feeling, another self-reminder that he was closer to Pine Tree every step of the way.

As Bill drifted off to an odd, disconcerting sleep that had seemed to fall over him simply because of this stupid human body and it's exhaustion limits, he finally took the time to look around. It was blurry from his half closed eye, but he could just barely make out carvings he had never noticed before. One was of him, his physical form, destroying a city. It faded away that night. As he slept, he felt a strange, yet pleasant tingling in his chest cavity. And he saw his Pine Tree in his dreams for the first time in so, so long. He cried because they couldn't quite kiss yet, but he found his faded form of a demon was able to talk. Each word he spoke, he saw less and less until, with the last of his terrible magic, he forced Pine Tree to have good sleep. After that night, he didn't know why The Oracle kept prodding around in his reserves. It was more painful to do that when they were empty than not.

Bill woke up groggy and disoriented. He look around the marble chambers and realized, as he did every time he managed to fall asleep, that he was still in the care of The Oracle. Which meant still shackled to a wall, with dried tears and bloodshot eyes. It meant she was still busy ripping the magic out of him. She spoke a few times, in her usual soft and slow manner, and Bill had begun to have some kind of understanding as to what she usually meant. She was asking if he was ready. He was better than ready. He was prepared.

Short screams echoed off the walls and Bill writhed and flung himself, trying to get away from all that terrible pain, the loathing that suddenly filled every inch of his body for the magic, for being born this way, and sometimes for ever even existing at all. But he stopped as he remembered. Pine Tree. Another wave of nauseating pain rolled over him and he fought not to faint, because he never he deserved every last little morsel of ironically unfunny suffering. If not for Pine Tree, then for everyone else he'd ever done anything to. There were a lot of beings who would want to watch this horror show. But The Oracle was a kind savior, and never let anyone inside her dimension, unless it was an emergency, when she was doing her work on Bill. This part, she had said, would leave very small, yet very painful, scars. Emergencies hadn't happened yet and Bill wished that they never would. Maybe the multiverse could be at peace for once.

A blackness at the edge of his eye threatened to take over his mind and body, but he fought. He scratched and clawed at his eye, desperately trying to keep it open and alive. The Oracle warned him not to make his eye bleed, but he did anyway. It didn't really matter. She healed him, and at once his fit was over, though he could still feel the almost overpowering urge to rip out his eye and squeeze the blood on to that perfectly creamy white marble floor. And then he remembered. His Pine Tree was waiting. Still loving him, still thinking of him. So he fought it and screamed and shrieked, but not once more that day did he try to harm himself. Other days were other matters and other problems.

Finally, The Oracle let him be for the day. She left him there, shackled to the wall. That night, there was no peace, no solitude. His thoughts haunted him, filling him with maniacal things and diabolical obsessions. He suddenly burst out into disturbed laughter, soaking the room with noise. It came out like gasps, like he was trying to breath and failing. Mostly because he was. His chest tightened up and he stopped laughing suddenly. The still strange feeling of tears ran down his face and neck, soaking into his dressy vest and shirt. He cried because he thought of his Pine Tree, alone in his attic room, and cold without Bill there. Bill wanted to pretend that Shooting Star was always there or Fordsie or maybe even Fez, if there was no one else. But Bill knew, somewhere in the still sane part, that there were indeed nights that his Pine Tree spent alone and cold. Or he would go to the roof of the shack, not really intending to fall asleep there, but then he would. Bill promised himself if - no, when, when he came back, he and his Pine Tree would spend many nights there, stargazing. Whether into the sky or each others' eyes, he did not dare to guess.

By the next morning, Bill had at last lost complete count of where Pine Tree's dimension was in terms of time in which Bill had been away. He was sure he hadn't been gone a year, but his mind was in shaky mental status before he came here. Right now, Bill was pretty sure other demons would call him insane. That was saying something.

That day, The Oracle walked, if you could call it that, over to him, the closest thing he'd ever seen to a smile played on her many-eyed face. Her robes billowed with an unseen breeze. She bowed to him slowly, said something equivalent to how proud she was of him, and unlocked his chains. Bill did a victory dance, knowing he was finally going home. Not the Nightmare Realm that had imploded during his procedure, but home. Where Pine Tree was. Gravity Falls home.

He landed with a thunk on his head, rolled over onto his side, and instantly realized he had a massive headache. And he was so sore. And more tired than he thought possible. And he was beginning to feel the effects of the scars, which flared with pain. But he was in front of the Mystery Shack. He crawled up and knocked on the door, not being able to physically stand up. The door swung open.

"Am I dreaming?"


	18. I Miss Missing You, Now and Then

Bill didn't come for a long time after the dream. Dipper went through his normal summer things, like hanging out with Wendy and Soos, going on missions with Mabel, etc. But it wasn't the same. Not without Bill. Now, without Bill, Gravity Falls seemed to lose it's wonder. Dipper had near endless conversations with Ford that always seemed to go something like this:

"Grunkle Ford? Is there anyway I can forge a connection with Bill?" Dipper would ask, in hopes of some new solution revealing itself to one of them.

"I'm sorry, Dipper. I don't know," Ford would answer, always giving Dipper a strong sense that he was keeping something from him. But no matter how much he pressed, Ford would deny knowing anything.

Eventually, Dipper stopped asking. Eventually, even Dipper gave up hope that Bill was still alive.

He would cry at night, not sleeping, not making a sound. He didn't wake Mabel once, but in the morning his pillow was still wet. He tried to drown his sorrow in books and science experiments, but he never did feel the same.

"DIPPER! OH MY GOD, DIPPER!" Mabel shouted from the kitchen, evidently not wanting to leave whatever she was doing. "DIPPER, GET DOWN HERE!" Dipper slowly got out of bed and trudged down the stairs, feeling every step he took like it was one more towards death.

"What'sit, Mabelh...?" His voice was slurred from lack of sleep.

"Have you forgotten, Dipstick?"

"Probably."

"It's our b-day!" She was excited. But then again, she was always excited. "I'm planning a really big party with all our friends! We're gonna have music and dancing and cake and presents and I think you should try to get a girlfriend," Dipper looked at her with outright horror in his eyes.

"Mabel, no." He sounded repulsed by the idea of romance. And rightly so, given that his boyfriend had just dissapeared one day and was assumed dead.

"Yes! I know you're sad. I understand! Let me help you!" Mabel said empathetically. She really did mean well.

"No! You don't! No one can because Bill is the only one who ever did. I love you and all my family, but I also loved Bill because he got me. He understood," Dipper was somewhere between shouting and crying. He stormed out of the room, leaving Mabel to stand in stunned silence. After she got over her shock, she hurried after him, her walk quickly turning to a run. She followed him like vomit stench follows a barf-fairy. Once she finally found him, he was surprisingly the first to speak.

"I'm sorry," his voice was a dam. If he kept talking, his tears wouldn't come. "Even if you don't understand, I shouldn't have said those things. I'm so-sorry. I know you're trying to help. I just need time. Because Bill is - was the only one who could ever understand something like this. You and the rest of our family knows me and loves me and I love them, but Bill, he understood exactly how it felt to... to... I don't even know. Be me? Maybe because he used to be able to read peoples minds. But for whatever reason he loved me and understood me and I loved him. I wouldn't ever claim to understand him, because he did somethings that nothing can explain compared to what I've seen of him in these past months. You were trying to help and I'm sorry I ignored that. I really just need time though," Dipper had nothing else to say, so he let the tears fall freely down his face. To his surprise, Mabel started to cry too.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have tried to force it upon you... you don't have to go to the party if you don't feel like it. I can tell people you're sick, if you want," she had that Mabel-like sincerity sound to her voice.

"No, I should go. You were right. It'll be good."

That afternoon soon came, and the party came along with it. Dipper ripped himself out of his slump to go appease Mabel. It'd be good for him to talk to people, too. He hoped. He walked down the stairs and was instantly bombarded by loud music that very nearly shook the house down and a disco ball. Some kid was dancing Saturday Night Fever style. But it was all a blur as a bobbing head of blonde hair came into view and a lithe frame twirling around too fast for Dipper to see the face. A squeak emerged from his lips as the boy came to a stop in front of him.

"Can I help you?" Not-Bill's voice echoed in Dipper's mind and hung there for a minute, unsure of where to go.

"Um... no. Sorry. I was just... looking for someone," Dipper gave Not-Bill a smile that was as fake as the Sascrotch. Not-Bill smiled genuinely and walked away. Dipper just stood there, letting his sadness fall around him and his heavy heart lay on the ground. Mabel came up to him and hugged him so tight, he thought he might choke. It felt good though, to know that when he stopped feeling like he was about to drown in tears and depression, people still loved him. She loosened her arms, letting them fall to her side.

"You okay, bro-bro?" The question came out strong, but Dipper knew she was worried.

"Yeah, fine."

After much too long, in Dipper's opinion, the party was finally over. The screams and music and merriment lapsed away as people slowly filtered out. Luckily, the guests had cleaned up after themselves pretty well because there was next to no trash on the floor. As Dipper cleaned up the minimal garbage, he heard the doorbell ring. Mabel was already passed out from her 'sugar crash' so he would be the one answering that, though he didn't feel like people right now. The door creaked open and at first, Dipper didn't think there was anyone there. But, as he looked down he saw a crumpled heap on the ground, platinum blonde hair strewn about, just barely revealing the face, Dipper knew exactly who it was.

"Am I dreaming?"


	19. Sweet Re-onion (No onions are mentioned)

**A/N: I'm so very sorry I haven't posted in sooooo long, guys. I've been way too overwhelmed. Also, I had writers' block and broke up with my partner. A lot of bad things happened at once. Sorry again! :)**

Bill felt Mason's baby-soft hands pull him up and hold him. It hurt, but Bill was smiling like the maniac he used to be. The brunette stared at Bill hard before letting go. Bill saw large tears running down Mason's face. Neither of them spoke for a small eternity, while Mason looked at Bill, examining the scars and bruises, frowning when he found one after another. Mason examined the grime and dirt on Bill's face, running his own fingers over the former demon's face and down his neck.

"I love you, you know," Mason stated.

"I know," Bill answered simply, then added, "I love you, too."

"I missed you."

"I missed you more. I missed you like..." Bill trailed off, unable to find words or allusions as to what he meant. He didn't know anything anymore.

"Are you okay? Where were you? Are you okay? What did this do to you? What are the exact effects? Are you okay? Can I kiss you? I missed you so much I cried because I thought you died and I was so depressed and I need you so much I don't know what I'd do without you and I'm talking about myself too much, aren't I? Please say something. Are you mad? Please don't be. I love you. I love you so much. And I nev -" All of a sudden, his words came tumbling out, all his thoughts and worries, but he was cut off by Bill, who kissed him. Short and sweet and beautiful.

"Everything will be fine," Bill said as he pulled away, smiling despite doing so put him in more pain than it was probably worth. "Let's go inside and I'll catch you up."

They walked up the stairs, hand in hand, trying to be very quite so they wouldn't wake Mabel. They reached Mason's room and softly climbed into bed.

"What happened?" Mason asked, curling up next to Bill.

"A lot. So, that morning when you woke up, I was up too. I pretended to be asleep so I wouldn't have to explain anything yet. Now, I regret that... but anyway. I'm here now. Basically, I was getting the magic ripped out of my soul. Also, the Oracle added in a heart for me so I could feel human-er. If you were to put your hand on my chest, it would feel warm, and it would be beating. I am the equivalent of a blank slate. I don't know anything about myself anymore. And it feels amazing! I love your world so much. I've never felt anything like this before! Is this what you guys always feel?" Bill was whisper-shouting, but stopped himself as he realized something. "I don't know who I am..." This statement was quieter and somber, compared to his speech before.

"Well, that's okay. I'll help you be whoever you want. I'll help you become truly human."

The next morning, Bill was up before the sun, flipping through various magazines of people and houses that Mabel had lying around her side of the room. It was an odd sight, if you knew who Bill had been. But he wasn't as such anymore. Bill gasped every once in awhile, when he saw something he liked, such as a gold and black button down shirt. Mason slowly awoke, sitting up and shaking the sleepy fog out of his head. His head spun around for a minute, a confused blur, as he tried to figure out where Bill had gone. He calmed down as he saw him sitting on the floor, looking at magazines.

"Bill, you scared me! I thought you left again," Mason explained, still breathing fast.

"I'm sorry," Bill said, standing up. He walked over to the other boy's bed and crawled up next to where he was. He put his thin arm around Mason's shoulders. "I promise I will never leave you again until my lips have their last breathe pass through them and that breathe is used to whisper that I love you."

"Wow... Bill, thanks. I love you." Mason only looked a little surprised. Bill grinned and hugged him tighter.

That day at breakfast, Bill explained to Mabel and Ford and Stan what exactly had happened to him. He also made sure Ford knew he was no longer a threat. Also, not even a demon.

"So... no more magic?" Ford asked suspiciously.

"Nope."

"No mind reading?"

"No."

"What about -" Ford was interrupted by Mason.

"Ford, he can't do anything. You didn't see him when he came home. He was... he looked terrible. Even you would believe him, if you had seen him."

Ford closed his mouth, but continued to eye Bill, like he might pull out a gun or a fireball or a interdimensional rift.

"So, Bill, what are you going to do with your life know?" Mabel asked, clearly trying to relieve the room of it's tension.

"I really don't know yet. I might go to college. I still have to figure out who I want to be, to. It's exciting, but I'm kinda scared," Bill sounded very energetic and alive, but a pained look flashed across his face.

"First thing we need to do is get ya a haircut!" Stan chimed in, guffawing afterwards. "But seriously, kid, you need a haircut."

"I know," Bill said as he shook his head back and forth, making his hair fly around his head like a golden tornado. It landed in his eyes, thus making him look like a shiny, golden mop. Everyone else laughed at Bill, but Mason stayed silent. He was smiling, for sure, but no humor was in his eyes. Just pure love. Mason slowly reached up and brushed all the hair out of Bill's face. Mabel awwd, then giggled.

"I'll leave you two to do your thing!" She said, and walked out, motioning for the Grunkles to follow her. They did.

Bill stared at Mason, a warm syrupy feeling filling his heart, mind, and insides. The mid-morning light shone on Mason so perfectly, casting the trees' shadows upon his face and chest. For some reason, Bill had an overwhelming urge to reach out and trace the lines that defined the shadows from the light, to run his finger tips along Mason's porcelain skin, to take off his hat and defile his chestnut hair. So he did just that.

"Bill!" Mason cried out, at first, unsure what the other's intentions were and aware that his hands were very quickly moving towards his head.

"Calm down." Was all Bill said, which actually did a surprising amount of calming on Mason's part. Bill methodically took off his love's hat and placed it on the table next to them. He scooted his chair closer to Mason's and ran his hands through Mason's hair, ruffling it as he went. His hand moved down to trace it's way down his face and chest. He then wrapped his arm around Mason and kissed him sweet and deep, like neither Mason nor Bill had ever felt before.

It was beautiful.


	20. With New Order, Comes Panic!(atD)

Ford stared down at the journal lying in his hands. Not the journal, not any of them. He wasn't stupid enough to recreate those journals. But a new one, yes. Ford sometimes wondered where his genius had gone in these passing years. Ford re-read what he had written mere minutes ago and erased it all. He was using a pencil this time, because he wanted this book to be perfect. The epitome of his knowledge. Unlike Stanly, he knew he wouldn't live forever. He wanted something for Dipper to continue his studies from, when he chose. Footsteps echoed down from the stairs and Ford slapped his book shut and locked it. You can never be too careful.

"Workin' on yer precious book again?" It was almost not a question. Almost, like Stanly wanted to believe he had actually given up on it.

"What else?" Ford answered, knowing it no use to lie since the man had expert lock picking skills.

"I told you ta give it up! Those kids don't need all your demons and daemons and devils. They don't need your research to pollute their minds."

"It's important! Someday, people will beg Dipper to tell them the things he's discovered! He'll be loved and respected as a scientist!"

"What if he doesn't want to be a scientist? What if he decides to be an author or a stay at home dad?"

"I never figured you to be the progressive one," Ford answered dryly, then got up and walked out, despite having been in his study. A walk seemed to be the best thing for his hot head to cool off right now.

He walked down a familiar trail, in the dark forest that bordered Gravity Falls. The night air was refreshing, but at the same time frustrating. The smell was sweet, but Ford couldn't seem to get more than a single, fragile whiff at a time.

"Having fun, Sixer?" Ford started, thinking Bill had followed him, but as he whipped around he saw it was only Wendy, the lazy red-head from the Mystery Shack. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Of course you didn't," Ford said grumpily, staring to stalk off into the night again. Why she had chosen that nickname was beyond him.

"I heard you and Stan arguing, and I wouldn't usually take the time to give you advice, but I know what it's like as a kid to have a parent absent and Dipper doesn't need that right now. He's gone through enough with his immediate family abandoning him. Go make up with Stan. It's for the best."

"Do you like Dipper?" Despite getting told how to deal with his issues by a seventeen year old girl, that was strangely all the scientist could focus on.

"No!" A blush rose to her cheeks and Ford knew she was lying. Poor kid.

He started walking again, but she just proceed to follow him, pestering him until he finally gave up.

"Fine! Just go away."

"Not until I see you apologize to Stan!"

"Fine," Ford realized he sounded like a whiny toddler, but at this point he just wanted to be alone. He turned around and promptly headed back to Mystery Shack, Wendy in tow. She was grinning. When they arrived in the front yard, Ford began to call out to his twin, but Wendy put a surprisingly strong hand over his mouth.

"We go inside," she explained, pulling him into the lobby/giftshop area of the Shack and releasing him.

"Stanly!" Ford shouted, succeeding this time.

"Yeah?!" Came a yell from the TV room. Ford walked into the room with a purpose, turned off the TV, and mumbled something close an apology. "Wha?"

"I'm sorry," It was barely audible over the soft patter of rain that was beginning to grow louder with each second, but Stanly nodded coldly in acknowledgement.

"So am I," came an equally quiet answer, said just after the other twin left the room. It was more sincere than you'd think.

Dipper was sitting in the living room, watching TV and pretending not to care that Bill, who was sitting next to him, hadn't once looked at the screen. He was studying Dipper's teenage face, looking at the near non-exsistant cracks and wrinkles, probably thinking how it was always the same. Bill stared at him harder and Dipper had to force himself not to blush. He still wasn't used to the fact that Bill didn't enjoy TV or movies or the fact that Bill didn't seem interested in anything but Dipper. He stared at him all day, looking at his reactions and actions. Bill was always around him, always there for him. Bill did nothing but support him. Dipper figured this was because of his earlier absence. It was nice though. Long walks in the woods, just the two of them or watching long movies, really quiet, once everyone else was asleep. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much watching done.

Bill ran his hands through Dipper's fluffy chestnut hair and kissed him. It was strong and passionate, but not too strong or too passionate. It was perfect. Dipper wrapped his hands around Bill's back and pulled him close, breaking away from their kiss. On TV, a re-run of Ducktective played, under the excuse of catching Bill up on the first season. Bill didn't care that much and Dipper had already seen it more times than he cared to admit, so neither of them minded missing the most emotional scene of the whole episode. Bill traced Dipper's birthmark, then kissed it softly. Dipper lifted his head from Bill's chest where it had been buried and kissed Bill again. This time there was tongue. They stayed entwined like that for a few moments, as long as both of them could go without choking. When they did pull away, both had red cheeks and Dipper's heart was beating faster than necessary.

"I love you," Dipper breathed, his face inches from Bill's, their foreheads touching.

"That's good, because you're the only hope for me," Bill breathed back, their inhales and exhales synchronized and filled with an odd excitement.

"You know, all was golden in the sky when I met you. It was an eternal sunset phase, just waiting for us to ride off into it."

"I hate to disappoint, but you know our ending won't be that easy."

"I know, but that's why we have friends in holy spaces, isn't it?"

"Of course," Bill answered, ending their conversation by shoving his lips back onto Dipper's. After they pulled away, they held each other like their lives depended on it. They were pretty sure it did. They stayed up all night holding each other. They could've fallen asleep, but neither wanted too, because neither wanted to loosen their grip or take their eyes of the other. Needless to say, both were tired the next morning.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry again for the long time in between updates, but I've been swamped. But! I need to know something. Please get in touch with me** _ **somehow**_ **(if you are a regular reader of this fic) and tell me how you want the story to end. I really don't have any good ideas, so I thought I'd ask you guys. Keep in mind, this doesn't mean the story will end anytime soon, I just want to have something in mind.**

 **Thanks!**


	21. O-Kay, Have Fun With That!

"Maaaaaaaaasooooon... I'm tireeeeeeeeeeedd..." Bill moaned that morning over an early breakfast.

"That's what we get for having a romantic moment that last five hours," Dipper said, unaware that Mabel was lurking right behind the doorframe, listening to their conversation.

"Erghf," Bill announced as his head fell into his cereal.

"Bill, did you put apple juice in that?" Dipper asked, looking closely at Bill's... mixture of cereals and liquid.

Bill lifted his head out of the bowl. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" His face was full of confusion and a little bit of amusement, also apple juice and cereal.

"Nooo. You're supposed to put milk on it. The white stuff that comes out of cows and goats and almonds. I thought I told you this," Dipper said, still rather confused.

"I invented milk. Well, dream demon Bill invented milk. I know how to use it like a bass, and it does not go on cereal."

"Bill, I think you mean boss."

"I'm not going to argue with you about human things."

And then they went on eating their cereal, talking about weird human conventions, like shaking hands or milking cows. Mabel, of course, didn't miss a minute of this. She was pretty much fangirling the whole time, snapping photos, and holding back screams of happiness. Hey, you know it's happened to you. Don't judge.

"Bill, why? Just... why?" Dipper made a face.

"Even without magic, I'm still insane without sleep." Bill answered, smiling crazily. He was balancing his bowl, including leftover apple juice, on his head. He was pulling it off pretty well, except for that part where he spilled it. All over his long, glorious hair.

"Billlll..." the brunette groaned, loudly enough to wake everyone up. It didn't, luckily for both of them. "You have to take a shower now."

"Whats'a 'shower'?"

"Really? You never saw people taking a shower? I thought you were more of a perv," Dipper said, grinning stupidly.

"Just tell me," Bill mumbled, a faint blush appearing on his freckled cheeks.

"It's where you get in a bathtub, stand up, and wash yourself off with water and soap."

"Can you show me?"

"What!? Bill, it's usually something you do... by yourself, unless you're really intimate," Dipper said, his face showing a faint blush too.

"And we're not?" And suddenly, Bill's face was too close to his own, their noses touching at the tips. Bill's breath was his too and Bill's gleaming yellow eyes were staring too hard into Dipper's brown ones. He took in a breath and Bill seemed to take that as an invitation to climb on top of him and kiss him, deep and sweet.

"Bill!" Dipper frowned, but he was laughing. He kissed Bill back, his lips still curved upward and his eyes still slightly open. Suddenly, Bill pulled away, a somber look in his eyes. "What is it?" Dipper asked, a worried look appearing on his face that should not have been possible for such a young being.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Mason. But, you really leave me no choice... If you refuse to take a shower with me..." Bill sighed sadly, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I must make you!" He whisper-shouted, shaking out his hair onto Dipper. Apple juice rained down onto Dipper and the table and floor around them. "Ha!"

"Billlll... now I have to take a shower too."

"Which you will be taking with meeeeee, because I'm scared like a humannnnn of water." Bill gave Dipper serious puppy eyes.

"Fine. But just this once," Dipper relented, already regretting it. "You know I have no strength against you. Also, humans aren't normally afraid of water..."

"I know both those things very well." Bill answered, grinning mischievously.

Dipper walked out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, steam trailing behind him. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, enjoying the cool, musty scent of the Mystery Shack. He stretched, smiling faintly.

"Hey, Dip-Dop!" Mabel screamed in his ear, making him jump. "Why were you in there for an hour and nine minutes?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Why were you timing me?" Dipper asked.

"Because, I'm a good sister. I also heard that someone else was in there with you..." She smiled impishly.

"Well, Mabel, that's a looong story... And not a very-" Bill's smooth voice was shut off by Dipper, who managed to aim behind himself well enough to shove a hand over Bill's mouth.

"Bill did some stuff and didn't know how to take simple shower, so he made me... get in with him. It's not as bad as it sounds. I just had to wash his hair, so we had towels on and it's the only time I'm ever going to do it I swear!" Dipper cried, afraid of what his sister would do to him or Bill.

"Awwww. And here I was under the impression my 14 year-old bro-bro got some fun..." Mabel sounded genuinely disappointed.

"See, Mason. I told you towels weren't necessary! Now we've gone and disheartened your sis!" Bill managed to say, Dipper's hand having fallen off of his mouth in shock.

"What's goin' on here and why are ya leavein' the door open?" A gruff voice asked from behind Mabel.

"Bill and Dipper took a shower together, but don't worry, they wore towels!" Mabel cheerfully explained, giggling.

"It's not what you think, Stan, I swear! I was just hel-" Dipper tried to explain, but his Grunkle cut him off.

"What! I'm worried!" Grunkle Stan exclaimed, enunciating unusually well. "Kid, when you've got a chance to see your girlfriend, or in this case boyfriend, naked, you take it. I want you to remember that! Next time you take a shower with Bill, you can't wear towels! That's insane!"

"See, Mason. I told you -again- towels aren't necessary, and we are doing this again!" Bill chimed in, grinning.

"Do I live in a house of insanity?" Dipper asked, throwing his hands up and storming off to his room.

Dipper sat on his bed, glaring at the floor and wishing it had answers. It didn't, but it had plenty of splinters for him. He heard heavy footsteps up the stairs, then a knock on the door.

"I'm busy!" Dipper called, hoping the person would head his words. They didn't.

"It's me, Grunkle Ford!" Said Grunkle yelled.

"I've freed up the afternoon, you can come in!" Dipper yelled back, finally smiling.

Grunkle Ford walked in, grinning. He came over to Dipper and sat down on his bed next to him, nearly knocking Dipper over.

"So, Dipper. Are you having problems with other people in this house, namely everyone? You sounded pretty grumpy," Dipper could almost hear Grunkle Ford's frown.

"Yeah..." Dipper mumbled.

"What happened?"

"They... they made fun of me because I had to take a shower with Bill, but Mabel and Stan just chided me for not wanting to see Bill completely naked. I don't even know why it's bothering me so much... I don't usually let little things like this get under my skin," Dipper explained, glaring at the floor again.

"I'm not very good at this..." Ford mumbled, looking sorry.

"That's fine... I'm not a very good boyfriend, am I?" Dipper asked, wishing he was a little less uptight.

"I'm sure Mabel would be glad to help," Ford suggested, patting his shoulder in an attempt to calm his grand-nephew.

"Okay, thanks, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper exclaimed, cheering up instantly at the thought of making it up to his beloved. Dipper ran off, presumably to go talk with Mabel. Grunkle Ford just sighed, wishing that his life was filled with such folly and unthinking joy, attainable by such small measures.

Dipper walked down the stairs, nearly floating, when he bumped into Bill, sending then both tumbling down the stairs. Dipper landed on top of him, face pressed against the other boy's throat. Slowly, it turned into a kiss on Bill's neck. Bill gave a little squeal, then hugged Dipper tight. Dipper wrapped his arms around Bill's back.

"Dip, have you finally come around to being a little more affectionate?" Bill asked, his voice light and happy. He already knew the answer.

"Yeah. I mean, I think. Wait... let's just see where this goes, okay?" Dipper answer, his voice basically glowing.

"O-kay," Bill sang, stuffing his face into the brunette's fluffy mane.

 **A/N (#2!): O - kay, guys. This is the last real chapter that takes place in a structured timeline. After all this I'll be updating on a** _ **even more**_ **irregular schedule. It will be a lot of one-shot-ish things and updating old chapters with better grammar and spelling. But I want to say, thank you all for sticking with me, in my good writing and bad. This has been more fun than I ever imagined, and I'm sorry. But I refuse to completely give up, and so I'm doing this. I'm also going to start a new,** _regularly_ **updated story, and will do better about actually making time to write it. The story will continue (sort of) and I love all of you! Never stop being you!**


	22. Sweetness Makes the Heart Grow Sour

Bill lied in bed next to Mason, holding him tightly. The dim light, produced only by a lamp, seemed to illuminate Mason's best features in a strange turn of events, but maybe that was just how Bill saw Mason. His curly, earth-colored hair shined a slight auburn and his caramel eyes remind Bill of a dog's. Mason sighed a little bit and snuggled closer to Bill, even though they were already closer than close. The blankets seemed to fold around them, almost like magic. But Bill didn't have that anymore, so he guessed it was just... the universe, maybe the Axolotl even, approving. Bill had changed himself a lot for Mason, made himself better, and Mason had done the same. They had each rose to the perceived height of the other, which made them both better and better with time. Sort of like fine wine, but better because it was Mason, at least in Bill's humble opinion. They were the other's hero. Of course, Shooting Star had lost no place in Mason's mind. She was right up there with Bill. And she didn't seem to mind them together, even if there were a few days when Mason had confided in Bill that he was worried he was ignoring her. In fact, she seemed to fully endorse the union of them, especially with the countless scrap books and memory jars and even sweaters she had knitted that all had them as the focus. Some were for them and others seemed to just be about them, tracking the days as they passed. The only thing that they had not had fall into place was Mason and Shooting Star's immediate family. They still seemed viciously opposed to the idea of their son being gay, since they had never contacted Mason once since that Christmas Eve when everything went... north. Or maybe it was south? Whatever meant really, really bad.

"Bill?" Mason asked, his voice soft even against the backdrop of silence. "Do you think... do you think we'll get a happy ending?" His voice shivered.

"What do you mean, Mason?" Bill asked his love back, running his hand down Mason's arm.

"I mean, do you think our story will end with us living together as long as we both live, supporting each other through all the years that will come, even though life is going to be hard sometimes and we're not going to feel like being in love sometimes and humans are stupid? Do you think our story will end without us having to deal with the things that haunt our pasts, or at least us being able to power through them together and stay with each other, side by side, no matter what we do? When we grow up, will we love each other as much as we do now?"

Bill stayed quiet for a minute, considering Mason's question with the seriousness that one would consider this question from the most important person in their life. He took in a small, deep breath, and spoke. "I think if we want to stay in love, and power through all the things you're talking about, if we want it bad enough, if we want it so badly that we do things and don't let our minds and bodies and heart stagnate, we will. There's no way we can't if we want it. We'll always find each other again, and that I'm more sure of than anything else." Mason nodded and settled back into Bill's embrace, his worries comforted for the moment. He feel asleep a few minutes after that, his dreams peaceful and perfect. Fairytale kind of dreams. Bill didn't seem to rest that easy, though. His mind still tossed and turned like broken waves, like the oceans that were so contained by the banks and beaches that they sometimes made tsunamis and hurricanes, just to get closer to the landlocked places they love. He glanced over at Shooting Star. She slept peacefully.

The house itself seemed to be sleeping, it's heartbeat steady and rhythmic, it's walls moving up and down with it's regular deep breaths. The darkness pressed in around Bill, holding him tightly, reminding him of his demon eternity before this. It was comforting to think of his past life sometimes, at times like these when nothing else seemed to care about anything. He didn't miss it by a long shot. Mason was a very good reward for not being magic. But every once in awhile, nostalgia shot him like he would a human before he had converted, and he had to surrender to the onslaught of memory. He almost wished he had made a scrap book for his life before his life.

Bill sighed and closed his eyes, willing the night to pass away quicker. Unlike before, it didn't listen to him.

Bill awoke to an empty bed. His arm moved back and forth, searching for his counterpart, who was not there. He sat up in bed, ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair, and looked over, to see Shooting Star also gone and bright light streaming through the window. The wood of the room was the same color as an oak tree in the morning's gentle light. He stepped out of bed and onto the surprisingly cold floor. He wondered in the back of his mind if the humans had some kind of device to cure this coldness. He walked towards the door, exiting Mason's and Shooting Star's room and wandered down the stairs. He went to the kitchen, to find everyone standing around, laughing.

"Hey Bill!" Shooting Star called, smiling big.

"Hey Shooting Star!" Bill said back, eyes still half closed. He walked over to Mason and rested his head on Mason's shoulder, sighing. The rest of the family went back to talking, but Mason stayed silent.

"Are you okay, Bill?" He asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I hardly slept last night."

"Oh," was all Mason said, then wrapped an arm around Bill's body, holding him tight. "You want breakfast?" Bill nodded once and Mason started walking, dragging him along. The thunk of an instant camera sounded, and Bill figured it was probably just Shooting Star taking more photos for her next scrap book. She giggled. Mason opened the fridge and Bill finally stopped leaning on him, not wanting to inconvenience his beloved. When you love someone, Bill had found, you want the strangest things. Mason pulled out a box of microwaveable waffles.

"Does anyone else want waffles?" He asked, grinning at Bill mischievously.

"I do!" Mabel shouted.

"I've got literally nothing better to eat, so why not?" Fez said, deadpan.

Sixer declined politely.

"Come on, Grunkle Ford! You probably haven't had waffles in forever!" Shooting Star shouted, throwing her hands up.

"Well, actually," Sixer started, pushing his glasses up. "I was in a waffle dimension eight years ago and I am disgusted by them. Just the thought of the one that tried to flirt with me... I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Well, I can guarantee you've never had Mabel waffles!" Sixer ran out of the room, presumably towards the bathroom. "Oops," Shooting Star said, not looking like she was sorry one bit.

"Oh well," Mason said, shrugging. Bill laughed softly. Mason took out four waffles and put them in the toaster, just as Sixer walked back in. He glanced at Mason, then ran back the way he had came. The waffles popped up five minutes later and they all ate, Bill following Mason's lead and simply putting a respectable amount of syrup on his, but he watched as Shooting Star loaded hers up with glitter, plastic dinosaurs, syrup, and icing. It was a wonder she could survive. Maybe she wasn't human? Bill tossed this idea around for a little while, but eventually decided against it. He would have known if she wasn't human.

The waffles were one of the best things that Bill had ever tasted. They were warm and sweet, but not too sweet. Better than pancakes, by far. Mason smiled at Bill and Bill smiled back. Fez wolfed his down in five bites, though they weren't the mini size. Bill sighed, contentedly. This might just be heaven, but he knew he wasn't going there, despite how much he had changed.

They all finished breakfast quickly enough, and stood around in the kitchen, still talking. Sixer had come back after all traces and mentions of the waffles had been swept away.

"Bill, do you want to go on a walk with me through the forest?" Mason asked, holding his hand out to Bill. "I could use some air." Bill nodded and took his hand, and they walked out together, nodding to Wendy as she walked past them, into the gift shop.

They walked into the forest hand in hand, the underbrush and leaf litter dappled with pale light. The leaves were a translucent, springy green, and there were many wildflowers in bloom, all different colors. Bill picked a few and braided them into a crown, then set them upon Mason's head. Mason chuckled and thanked him. The sky was a pure blue, the kind you only think you can find on mountain tops, but in reality you can find anywhere if you're in love enough. Mason seemed lost in thought, or maybe wonder, so Bill didn't try to talk, but he gazed soulfully at Mason's profile. Again, the light seemed to illuminate Mason's best features and ignore his worst ones. Honestly, Bill wasn't sure Mason had worse features. He always looked pretty perfect to Bill. They walked in silence for hours upon hours, forgetting about lunch and watching the sun gallop across the sky in it's great fire-chariot. The walked and walked and walked until their feet were sore. Mason stopped suddenly.

"Bill, can... we take... a break?" Mason panted, leaning against a tree.

"Yeah, of course," Bill answered, walking over to his partner. Mason nodded thankfully and smiled at Bill. "I was thinking last night when I couldn't sleep, about what you said and about other things too. We should have something... some words or an object, or something like that that's completely our own. Something that won't degrade until we're dead and gone, something that we can use to bring each other back to us. But I couldn't think of anything that would be good and powerful enough to withstand the erosion that happens in the human world so easily. I didn't know if you had any ideas." Bill said this in an almost sad manner.

"Well..." Mason sighed. "I do have one idea. It might not last for years upon years after our deaths, but if we take good care of them maybe they would last awhile. We could get each other promise rings...?" Mason sounded nervous, but somehow excited.

"Okay!" Bill shouted, seem like Shooting Star for a second. "What are they?"

"They're these ring people give each other when they can't or don't want to get married, but you want to show commitment. I don't know if we can ever get married since you probably aren't a registered citizen of anywhere, but these rings could be something to keep us together." Bill nodded slowly.

"That sounds wonderful," he said, sitting down on the forest floor next to Mason. Mason glanced at him, grinning and seemingly having recovered from his tiredness. Bill had a equally wonderful idea, but one that could be executed in a much more present time. He trailed Mason's jaw with his hand and Mason leaned in. He pulled Mason even closer towards him. "I think you're wonderful too, you know," Bill whispered before kissing him. Mason kissed Bill back, fully committing to it. Fully committing to Bill, in a sense. They broke apart after a minute, both panting. The sun was setting by now, casting deep shadows and amber light across the forest. It was beautiful. After awhile, the stars came out and shone like diamonds sewn onto a navy velvet suit.

"Let's just sleep here tonight, alright? I'm tired and I'm sure the forest will keep us safe."

"Okay," Bill said, and watched as Mason's beautiful eyelids flickered closed and he feel asleep in Bill's arms.

 **A/N: Wow, guys. Life has been rough, but I forgot how good writing this story felt. I'mma definitely be getting back to this one. I love you all, my readers of long ages and my readers who are new!**


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